How to Win Over the Canadian Online Shopper

When you think of Canada, the first things that probably come to mind are maple syrup, die-hard hockey fans and overuse of the word “eh.” But did you know that Canadians are also fervent online shoppers?

And that isn’t just a stereotype – we have the data to back it up.

According to research by Canada Post, four out of five Canadians have purchased online, and two-thirds have had items internationally shipped to them from outside Canada in the past three months.

Quite evidently, Canada has become an attractive market for U.S. goods. So how can American e-commerce businesses capitalize on this, and what exactly do Canadian buyers want in an online retailer?

For one – an easy, painless returns process.

There’s nothing worse than having to stand in line to buy postage and then filling out complex export documentation – just to make a return.

In fact, when surveyed Canadians were asked what their biggest worries were regarding online purchasing, a whopping 49 percent expressed concerns about restrictive return policies.

Luckily, e-commerce businesses can take advantage of solutions like Endicia, which allows you to create Canada Post return shipping labels directly from your online account.

All you need to do is:

1. Create a new shipping label (or retrieve your customer’s order data if you created the original shipping label through Endicia).
2. Email a PDF of the pre-paid shipping label directly to your Canadian customers.

All your customer has to do is stick the Canada Post return label onto the package and drop it off at one of the many convenient Canada Post retail locations.

Having a solid, hassle-free returns process in place will help to inspire confidence in Canadian buyers and encourage them to purchase from your online store. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and fuel that Canadian online shopping addiction!