Canadian retailers experienced a 12 per cent growth in online sales in 2013 amounting to $136 billion, according to a Statistics Canada report. However, the rate of businesses moving online has remained the same since last year, staying at 46 per cent.
“When it comes to things like selling online, it becomes even more expensive,” says Corinne Pohlmann, senior vice president of national affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. “For a smaller company, that can be pretty daunting.”
According to Pohlman, smaller businesses find it harder to face the obstacle of producing an investment to start and maintain a website. Starting an e-commerce site proves even more difficult.
Instead, smaller retailers tend to turn to social media or online shopping sites to create their own web presence. Social media isn’t just to replace a website, though. Several retailers use it as a part of their digital marketing strategy, a number that is steadily growing.
