Canadian eCommerce Statistics 2026: Key Numbers and Trends
The Canadian eCommerce Market in 2026
Online retail in Canada continues to grow at a strong pace. Whether you run an online store or are planning to launch one, here are the numbers you need to make informed decisions.
At Growth Lab, we use this data daily to build strategies that deliver concrete results — over $10M in client revenue to date. These benchmarks will help you evaluate where you stand and where the opportunities are.
Market Size and Growth
- Canadian eCommerce revenue (2026): ~$85 billion CAD
- Year-over-year growth: 8-10% compared to 2025
- eCommerce share of total retail: ~18%
- Number of online shoppers in Canada: ~30 million (78% of the population)
- 2028 projection: The market is expected to surpass $110 billion CAD
Growth by Province
| Province | eCommerce Market Share | Annual Growth | |---|---|---| | Ontario | 39% | 9% | | Quebec | 22% | 11% | | British Columbia | 15% | 8% | | Alberta | 12% | 7% | | Other provinces | 12% | 8% |
Notable: Quebec shows the strongest growth, partly because eCommerce adoption was historically lower there than in the rest of Canada. The catch-up is underway.
Conversion Rates by Industry
Conversion rate is the king metric in eCommerce. Here are the Canadian benchmarks for 2026:
| Industry | Average Conversion Rate | Top 25% | |---|---|---| | Food and grocery | 4.5% | 7.0%+ | | Health and beauty | 3.2% | 5.5%+ | | Fashion and apparel | 2.1% | 3.8%+ | | Home and decor | 1.8% | 3.2%+ | | Electronics | 1.5% | 2.8%+ | | Jewellery and accessories | 1.3% | 2.5%+ | | Sports and outdoors | 1.9% | 3.4%+ | | Pets | 3.0% | 5.0%+ |
At Growth Lab, our eCommerce clients consistently achieve 4%+ conversion rates regardless of sector. The difference: an optimized funnel, high-performing creatives, and a solid retargeting strategy.
Mobile Commerce
Mobile now dominates Canadian eCommerce:
- Mobile traffic share: 72% of all eCommerce traffic
- Mobile sales share: 58% of eCommerce transactions
- Conversion rate mobile vs desktop: Mobile 1.8%, Desktop 3.5%
- In-app purchase growth: +25% compared to 2025
- Preferred mobile payment method: Apple Pay (38%), Google Pay (22%), saved cards (40%)
Average Order Value (AOV)
| Industry | Average AOV (CAD) | |---|---| | Electronics | $185 | | Home and decor | $125 | | Fashion and apparel | $95 | | Health and beauty | $72 | | Sports and outdoors | $88 | | Food | $65 | | Jewellery and accessories | $110 |
Strategy: AOV is an often-overlooked growth lever. Simple tactics like bundling, free shipping thresholds, and post-purchase cross-sells can increase your AOV by 15-30%.
Acquisition Costs by Channel
| Channel | Average CPA (CAD) | Average ROAS | |---|---|---| | Google Shopping | $18-35 | 4.5-8x | | Google Search | $25-50 | 3-6x | | Meta (Facebook/Instagram) | $15-40 | 3-7x | | TikTok | $12-30 | 2-5x | | Pinterest | $10-25 | 2.5-5x | | Email marketing | $2-8 | 10-40x | | SEO (organic) | $5-15 | 8-20x |
Email and SEO offer the best long-term ROI. Paid channels are essential for acquisition, but email and organic are the real profitability drivers.
Canadian eCommerce Trends 2026
1. AI in eCommerce
- 45% of Canadian online stores use AI for recommendation personalization
- 30% use AI chatbots for customer service
- Stores with AI personalization see a 20% higher AOV
2. Social Commerce
- 28% of Canadian shoppers made a purchase directly on social media in 2026
- Instagram Shop and TikTok Shop are gaining ground
- Social commerce is expected to represent 12% of eCommerce sales by 2028
3. Sustainability and Local Commerce
- 65% of Canadian consumers prefer buying from local brands
- 58% are willing to pay more for sustainable products
- "Made in Canada" and "Eco-friendly" badges increase conversion rate by 8-15%
4. Subscriptions and Recurring Revenue
- The Canadian eCommerce subscription market is growing at 20% per year
- Most popular categories: food, beauty, supplements, coffee
- Subscriber customer lifetime value is 3-5x higher than one-time buyers
5. Shipping and Logistics
- 78% of Canadian consumers expect free shipping above a certain threshold
- Average free shipping threshold: $75 CAD
- 52% of shoppers would abandon a cart if delivery takes more than 5 business days
- Same-day delivery is offered by 15% of Canadian online retailers (and growing)
Payment Methods in Canada
| Method | Share of Transactions | |---|---| | Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard) | 45% | | Debit cards | 18% | | PayPal | 15% | | Apple Pay / Google Pay | 12% | | Buy Now, Pay Later (Afterpay, Klarna) | 8% | | Bank transfer / other | 2% |
Key trend: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) continues its rapid growth, especially among 18-35 year olds. Stores offering BNPL see a 20-30% increase in AOV.
Cart Abandonment Rates
- Average abandonment rate in Canada: 69%
- Top reasons:
Impact of recovery sequences: A solid abandoned cart email sequence recovers an average of 10-15% of lost carts. At 69% abandonment, that's a significant revenue gap for stores without a sequence in place.
Use This Data to Your Advantage
These statistics are only useful if they guide your decisions. Compare your metrics to the benchmarks in your industry. If your conversion rate is below average, the problem is identifiable and fixable.
At Growth Lab, we use this data to build strategies that systematically outperform industry benchmarks. That's how we achieve 4%+ conversion rates and 5x+ ROAS for our clients.
Book your free audit and we'll compare your numbers to benchmarks to identify your biggest growth opportunities.