E-commerce sales in Canada increased 25 percent in August compared to last year

E-commerce sales in August increased 25 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada.

Retail e-commerce sales totalled $1.8 billion CAD in August, and accounted for 3.2 percent of retail trade.

The category that accounted for the most e-commerce sales was motor vehicle and parts dealers, with a 2.4 percent change from August 2018.

Food and beverage sales were in second place, but with a decrease of 0.3 percent from the previous year. However, there was an 8.5 percent increase of sales from specialty food stores.

Miscellaneous store retailers, such as cannabis stores, had the most growth in terms of e-commerce with an increased 11.3 percent. However, Statistics Canada has noted that there it has not established seasonal data for this industry yet because it is fairly new.

Additionally, Prince Edward Island is the province with the most growth in e-commerce. It had a 4.3 percent increase from 2018.

Source: Statistics Canada