Trapped by inflation, half of Quebecers are wondering how they will manage to pay for their Christmas presents this year.
According to a survey conducted by Angus Reid on behalf of FedEx Canada, 80% of Quebecers (85% of Canadians) acknowledge that widespread price increases disrupt their vacation budget.
In a sign of the impact of inflation, 38% of Quebecers intend to spend less this year, compared to only 14% who intend to increase their spending.
By comparison, during the same survey in 2022 – a year when inflation was also on everyone’s lips – only 20% of Quebecers expected to spend less during the holidays, a rate that has therefore practically doubled in one year .
In addition, stress related to holiday shopping increased by 10% between 2022 and 2023. It now affects 40% of La Belle Province residents.
The buoy of online shopping
To get ahead, Canadians are turning heavily to online commerce.
“Inflation is making waves in the minds of Canadians. In the face of this economic crisis, online shopping is proving to be an anchor for Canadians. They want to stretch every dollar of their holiday budget,” said Ann-Marie McIntosh, Vice President and FedEx corporate communications.
Thus, 57% of Canadians plan to do their holiday shopping online, either for simplicity (66%), to save time (59%) or to be able to compare prices of the same item more easily (46 %).
This abundance of online orders and packages is also a delight for thieves. This year, 28% of Canadians (30% of Quebecers) reported having an order stolen, a rate that is increasing from year to year (24% in 2022, 20% in 2021).
