It seems like the pandemic has made online second-hand shoppers out of most of Atlantic Canada.
A recent survey from Narrative Research found that over half of Atlantic Canada has bought from an online reseller in the past year. Broken down, that is 61 percent in Nova Scotia, 60 percent in Newfoundland and Labrador and 58 percent in New Brunswick, all higher rates than most provinces and territories.
CEO Margaret Brigley says the pandemic made them curious about Canadian’s new shopping patterns.
“[We wanted to know] how have behaviours changed in terms of shopping online, particularly for used products,” said Brigley.
They found that 49 percent of Canadians bought from Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji or another online platform within the last year – up from the 25 percent in past years.
Why numbers are higher in the Atlantic region is still unclear.
“This could reflect the fact that the Atlantic region generally experienced less impact from the pandemic than other regions during the past year,” according to an analysis by Narrative Research on its website.
Selling online increased alongside buying. 44 percent of Canadians have sold online in the past year compared to 26 percent from over a year ago. Narrative Research reports that unsurprisingly, people who buy online are more likely to sell online.
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Brigley thinks that part of the reason for the popularity could be that people want to reuse products instead of throwing them away. She suggests that people have been using extra time at home to purge.
“They are cleaning out those closets, finding all those things that they have in hand that perhaps they can get rid of,” said Brigley. “On the other side, as they look to do home renos or really focus on their home and doing things a little differently, it’s an opportunity to get new items in their home.”
For instance, Brigley says that for people with a new interest in outdoor activities, these online sellers are perfect places to find equipment.
“It seems quite natural to look online,” said Brigley. “Given that it’s difficult to access some products in stores these days — look at that used online market.”
Rachel Smith is a summer intern for Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
