Synovate: 70% Of Canadians Aware Of Social Commerce Sites, But Are They Buying?

BY: 

Dave Forde
September 13, 2011

We are bombarded with new companies telling us they are the next big Groupon aka social commerce site, and here in Canada there are well over 150 sites offering some type of daily deal for consumers.  Research company Synovate released some data from their omnibus survey which found that just over 70% of adults nationally have heard of at least one online daily group deal site.  The province of Ontario is the highest (also the largest population), while Quebec was the lowest (most sites operate only in English).

Which Social Commerce Site/ Daily Deal Site Is Most Popular In Canada?

According to the data, Groupon is recognized by 50% of Canadians, followed by Kijiji Daily Deals (31%), WagJag (25%) and RedFlagDeals (20%).

How Many Canadians Purchase From A Social Commerce/ Daily Deal Site?

Of the 70% who are aware of online daily group deal sites, one-third indicated that they had actually purchased from one of the sites. Those in Ontario and British Columbia showed the highest level of purchasing from an online daily group deal site.  Groupon continues to have the strongest number of purchases at 18%, and its highest usage is in British Columbia and the Prairies, as well as being especially high among 18-34 year olds.

Adrian Murphy, Vice President of Syndicated Research North America for Synovate said, “Consumers generally seek to get the most value for their money, which is the impetus behind the development of online daily group deal sites. The concept may help retailers and manufacturers save on their advertising budgets and at the same time reinforce brand and product awareness — potentially a win-win situation all around!”

Food & Drink is the most popular category, bought by 44% of those adults who have ever purchased from a daily group deal site. Beauty & Spa was the second most popular category (21%), along with Sports & Recreation (16%) and Art & Entertainment (15%). Males were more likely to have purchased a deal on Food & Drink and Sports & Recreation, while women showed a higher preference for deals on Beauty & Spa than did men.

Additional Stats:

  • On average purchasers buy about two online daily group deals a month
  • Daily deal buyers (49%) will wait for the deal to become activated before making a purchase
  • 72% of purchasers agree that they read all the fine print of the online daily group deal before making a purchase; this activity is much higher among females (79%) than males (64%)
  • More than half (55%) believe that online group deals make great gifts

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 20 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses. He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.


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