Canadians of all ages, genders, regions, and incomes will continue to make their way to shopping centres, according to the 2022 Retail Holiday Survey from commercial real estate agency JLL Canada.
Ninety percent of Canadians intend to go to shopping centres, the national survey found.
“Shopper hesitancy continues to decline as more people resume interest in physical shopping activities, including in enclosed malls. With a large majority of the adult population fully vaccinated, Canadians are craving normalcy,” the report stated.
“Shoppers are going to physical retail like it’s 2019,” added Diana Gavrila, JLL’s communications manager.
Survey respondents are asked to mention the top retailers (in-store or online) at which they plan to shop for the holidays.
After losing the top spot during the pandemic, Walmart regained it this year, but is now tied with Amazon, each being the preference of 27 percent of shoppers. Hudson’s Bay became the third most popular retailer in Canada, pushing Best Buy out of the top three.
Other retailers mentioned this year that didn’t make the top10 include Gap, Old Navy, H&M, Sport Chek and Zara.
Meanwhile, Shoppers Drug Mart joins the top10 retailers list for the first time.
Canadians plan to decrease their gift spending budget by 13 percent this year. Although Canadian households have saved more historically and have accumulated a significant reserve since 2020, shoppers are tightening their belt in 2022, the survey noted.
Although overall consumer spending in Canada remains elevated, fewer shoppers will spend at least $500 on gifts and more will spend $500 or less. The average amount Canadians plan to spend on gifts is $412, JLL added.
