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With yesterday being International Womens Day, many social media accounts for companies were posting about it. From messages thanking their female members of staff, to empowering posts about equality and raising funds for womens rights charities, there was a wide array of social media being used for good. However, there is always some attempts that miss the mark. This can be from a multitude of reasons. The wrong image or hashtags being used, using a far too informal or inse...nsitive tone, depending on the topic, or in some cases, just the wrong approach altogether. Yesterday, Burger King's UK twitter account posted the message "Women belong in the kitchen". No, that has not been edited. That was the tweet. Just that. It was supposed to promote the companies new initiative to get more women into the restaurant industry, with the company adding a comment underneath saying "If they want to, of course. Yet only 20% of chefs are women. We're on a mission to change the gender ratio in the restaurant industry by empowering female employees with the opportunity to pursue a culinary career." The aim was to shock people with the original post, so they would click through to the actual message. Essentially, clickbait. However, what it achieved was instant condemnation and mockery online, with even KFC Gaming urging Burger King to delete the post. The tweet itself quickly saw the replies filled with abusive and misogynistic comments. After originally trying to defend itself, Burger King took down the post and issued an apology, over 12 hours later. This incident is a perfect example of how the wrong approach and execution can ruin the message, no matter how good it is. Burger King wanted to bring attention to gender disparity in the restaurant industry. Great, a fantastic idea! But now it is forgotten beneath a social media nightmare because of the use of a sexist trope and poor judgement. #socialmedia #burgerking #twitter #socialmediamarketing #socialmediaadvertising #whatnottodo

Happy International Womens Day! Thank you for all the creativity, passion and strength you bring to each and every day. #internationalwomensday

Consumer survey shows growing popularity of online shopping, as well as main 'dealbreakers' Source https://ca.finance.yahoo.com//consumer-survey-reveals-top- Ecommerce experience platform Shogun has shown in new survey data that 42% of people who have shopped online during the pandemic will continue to do so after... The findings also revealed some of the main factors that lead consumers to avoid certain online stores or brands. The highest ranking was a website or app "that looks sketch or unsafe" at 59% Other major factors included stock not being available or no longer available after clicking through a social media link, few product pictures or low quality pictures and not providing product reviews #ecommerce #onlineshopping #socialmedia #ecommercebusiness #onlinebusiness

Over 50,000 years of product review videos have been watched on YouTube via mobile devices since 2017 Source https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/youtube-stats YouTube has become a perfect place to connect brands and customers, especially targeted at mobile users, which hold a large amount of YouTube's total audience.... Since 2017, mobiles devices have watched over 50,000 years worth of product reviews, as the platform has become popular for consumers to find information on products It is not just in reviews either, with more adults between 18-49 using YouTube on mobile during prime time then any cable network does in a week As well as a large audience on mobile devices, YouTube has shown to be able to connect brands with a wider range of age demographics then first expected, with 75% of adults reported to actively watch YouTube videos on mobile devices, according to Google and Ipsos Connect #ecommerce #youtube #marketing #onlinebusiness #socialmediamarketing

70% of viewers have bought from a brand after seeing content for it on YouTube Source https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/youtube-demographics The platform has a global user base that is over 2 billion people and has proven a useful tool for marketers, allowing a connection to be established with the target audience... Last year showed how well it can make that connection and drive engagement, with Google showing in a study that 70% of viewers had purchased something from a brand that they had seen content for on the platform With over a billion hours of content watched by users per day, YouTube presents a great way to connect your brand with your target audience. It also holds a high level of engagement with those on mobile devices, with 25% of all worldwide mobile traffic being on YouTube #ecommerce #onlinemarketing #youtube #onlineshopping #audienceengagement #onlinebusiness

Email marketing sees an increase in engagement as 2020 statistics show strong customer retention Source https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats? The State of Email Marketing in 2020 report by Hubspot has shown email marketing to have had a strong 2020, with 78% of marketers seeing an increase in engagement in the last 12 months ... The statistics also showed a strong preference among millennials, with 73% preferring communications from business to be via email Email marketing has also seen a shift towards versatility and practicality, with 46% of all emails opened being done so from a mobile device. Email marketing sees one of the best ROI rates, with roughly US$38 for every US$1 spent, making it a 3800% ROI #ecommerce #emailmarketing #onlinebusiness #email #emailmarketingstats

Small businesses group up to form online markets to allow for better reach Source https://www.cbc.ca//kitchener-market-online-store-1.5900880 https://www.retail-insider.com//how-online-markets-are-he/... Several online market stores have started recently as "digital localism" sees increased numbers turn to online shopping whilst also whisking to purchase from local brands Kitchener Market and St Lawrence Market in Toronto have both recently established themselves online with customers able to order from multiple vendors with sites such as Le Panier Bleu, Ma Zone Québec and Boomerang Inc all starting in Québec The demand for local products has increased though 2020 and into 2021, as consumers look to support their local businesses as well as close location of goods, for delivery and pick up #ecommerce #smallbusiness #localbusiness #shoppingonline #onlinemarket #onlinegrocery

New study shows ecommerce is influencing how we eat Source https://www.foodincanada.com//e-commerce-in-2021-analysis/ A study looking into consumer spending on food sales saw significant rises to meat alternatives and plant based substitutes sales. The former saw a rise of 129% in 2020 when compared to the first 9 months of 2019... According to the Sustainable Brands 2020 survey, 75% of those surveyed found that the pandemic had made them more aware of global issues. This follows a similar study by Innova which saw 60% of consumers say they wanted to boost their immune systems This comes as online grocery shopping has seen a massive upsurge, with its availability and convenience winning many over, as well as being able to make certain products more available to customers Of those surveyed, nearly 30% were new to ecommerce shopping in 2020, choosing to shop online due to the pandemic. #ecommerce #onlineshopping #groceryshopping #consumerinsights #business #onlinegrocery

Google to suspend stores that display differing prices between merchant feed and checkout Source https://searchengineland.com/google-will-suspend-merchant-s Google is to begin enforcing price accuracy from April 6th, which will see all merchant sites to display the same price they show on their landing page then what they display at the checkout ... Stores caught violating this are subject to a 28-day warning before being suspended by Google at the end of the period Posting its guidelines on its support website, Google's announcement said "People expect to pay the advertised price for your products. If the price of a product advertised in a Shopping ad or free product listing is different from the price shown in a customer’s shopping cart, that could create a negative experience for the customer and could result in the loss of a sale." #ecommerce #onlineshopping #google #onlinestore

Small business study shows the pandemic accelerated the move to online for more then 70% of stores Source https://www.cisco.com//small-business-2020-digital-maturit A study by market research company International Data Corporation found that the effects of Covid-19 caused over 70% of small businesses to accelerate the move to online selling... The data, which was taken from small businesses in Canada, France, Germany, UK and the US among others, showed that Canadian businesses have been quick to make the move, sitting behind only UK, US and German small businesses The analysis sees that if 50% of the small businesses digitally mature, it could add US$ 2.3 trillion (Just under CA$3 trillion) to the countries GDP by 2024 However, at the current moment, only 4% of all businesses surveyed were considered 'digitally native' with the majority being classed as 'digital observers' #ecommerce #onlineshopping #onlinebusiness #smallbusiness #digitalization

Local markets move online to bring home delivery for small business goods Source https://www.newswire.ca//st-lawrence-market-delivered-new- https://www.cbc.ca//kitchener-market-online-store-1.5900880... St. Lawrence Market has teamed up with Toronto-based delivery service Inabuggy to give customers new ways to shop with the small businesses that make up the market Kitchener Market has made a similar move, announcing last monday that it was opening a online store offering over 500 products, including fresh fruit, cheeses and meats Both are seeking to reconnect the small businesses with shoppers as they seek to adapt to advancement of online shopping and the rise of home delivery demand #ecommerce #smallbusiness #toronto #localbusiness #kitchener

Revenue data suggests surge in new Canadian businesses Source https://www.thechronicleherald.ca//exclusive-cra-data-sug/ Data from the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) and Statistics Canada shows an increase in new businesses, with more stores opening last year then in 2017... GST numbers provided from the CRA for September 2020, show an increase of 5% from year earlier, marking the most in any September since 2013. Additional data from Statistics Canada shows that October 2020 marked the 3rd consecutive month in which more businesses opened then closed The opening of new stores shows a strong rebound, especially when compared to the Great Recession, which saw GST numbers in Canada stay below the 2008 mark all the way until 2016 #smallbusiness #canada #statisticscanada #business #onlineshopping #canadianbusiness

Small businesses adapting to provide alternate shopping options to customers Source https://www.newswire.ca//black-friday-and-small-business-s A recent study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has found that 86% of small businesses have adapted to using a new business model for alternate shopping options such as online delivery or pickup... Many small businesses have adapted to ecommerce this year as lockdown measures have forced brick and mortar stores to close as a precaution The study by the CFIB also found that small business were safer to shop at then larger stores as 79% had gone beyond and above health guidelines for stores 90% of those surveyed found they were also able to easily and effectively limit the amount of people they had in stores #ecommerce #smallbusiness #cfib #onlineshopping #localbusiness #business

Online shopping set to break record in 2020, according to new data Source https://www.ctvnews.ca//online-shopping-set-to-hit-record- Statistics Canada's new data shows that ecommerce doubled between February and May of this year, though growth has slowed since reaching CA$4 billion in May ... Despite slowing, it is still estimated to beat 2019's total ecommerce sales of $305 billion. This figure includes business-to-business sales as well as retail purchases Last year, online sales made up 8% of revenue for Canadian businesses, though estimates put it as high as 39% for large businesses this year, and 23% for small #ecommerce #onlineshopping #trends #business #retail #record #smallbusiness

Loblaw to launch autonomous delivery fleet as it looks to rise to online shopping boom Source https://betakit.com/loblaw-partners-with-gatik-to-bring-fi/ Canada's largest food retailer has partnered with Gatik, a start up company from Palo Alto to create what they claim to be Canada's first ever autonomous delivery fleet... The two companies will use five box trucks for fixed routes in the Greater Toronto Area, with them starting operations in January 2021. The two companies have already been trialling a single vehicle for 10 months Loblaw has benefited massively from the ecommerce boom of this year with a 175% sales increase in the last quarter. This has lead to the company to expand its infrastructure and delivery capabilities Loblaw is not the first company Gatik has partnered with, having signed a deal with Walmart in 2019 for the companies headquarters in Arkansas #ecommerce #onlineshopping #loblaws #autonomousvehicles #delivery #selfdriving

New PayPal study shows acceleration of ecommerce among small Canadian businesses Source https://www.newswire.ca//pandemic-fast-tracked-digital-tra A study conducted by PayPal has shown the rapid rate of ecommerce growth in Canada and how it has accelerated with small businesses across the country... Titled 'Business of Change: PayPal Canada Small Business Study', the findings show that two in three (67%) surveyed accept payment online, and just under half (47%) have only started within the last year, with a third (34%) doing so after March of this year Among the findings, 69% said that ecommerce has made them more successful, with 72% believing ecommerce is now necessary to be a successful business #ecommerce #onlineshopping #paypal #smallbusiness #canada #business

Walmart sees ecommerce drive 3rd quarter sales surge Source https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/e-commerce-drives-walmart-canad Walmart Canada has seen sales surge in the 3rd quarter of this year, with consumers continuing to grocery shop online ... The companies ecommerce saw an increase of 177%, mainly driven by grocery sales. This comes after Walmart announcing multiple new expansions in their online shopping, including new delivery centres In the statistics shared, it also shows that customers are buying significantly more per shop, on average, then they were early this year #ecommerce #walmart #groceryshopping #onlineshopping #ecommercebusiness

UPS opens new delivery hub as it readies for Christmas ecommerce surge Source https://www.newswire.ca//just-in-time-opening-of-new-ups-h UPS Canada has opened their largest sorting and delivery facility in the country as it looks to prepare for a surge of ecommerce deliveries... The 850,000 square foot centre in Caledon, Ontario, is part of a C$500 million Canada investment plan UPS announced in 2018. Its aim is to cover the increase in online deliveries, with higher efficiency and reliability for both customers and suppliers Like with many other delivery companies, including FedEx, UPS Canada is set to see an extremely busy Christmas period, hiring 5000 temporary staff across the country to deal with the demand #ecommerce #onlineshopping #ups #canada #christmasshopping #delivery #ecommercebusiness

Canadian shopping boom set to carry on as ecommerce sees record sales Source https://www.bloomberg.com//supply-chains-latest-canada-s-o Canada is turning to online sales for groceries and the rapid growth is expected to carry on past the pandemic, as Canadians are drawn in by the convience of online food shopping... Retail ecommerce saw sales climb to a record C$3.9 billion in May, according to Statistics Canada, whilst the nations biggest grocery chain, Loblaws has said their own ecommerce sales have increased 175% in the 3rd quarter of this year A survey conducted by Agri-food Analytics Lab saw 15% increase in how many were shopping online for groceries as compared to before the pandemic, with half saying they will continue to do so As more and more Canadians turn to online shopping, companies have taken note. C$12 billion is being committed by companies as they look to increase their infrastructure and delivery reach #ecommerce #onlineshopping #canada #loblaws #groceryshopping #retail #onlinegrocery

Metro looks to home deliveries as it shifts its ecommerce strategy Source https://www.theglobeandmail.com//article-metro-posts-sale/ As more and more Canadians look to online shopping in 2020, Metro has updated its strategy to tap further into ecommerce orders... Metro has announced it will spend roughly CA$15 million to open an online order-only store next year. This marks a large shift for the Montreal based reatiler, who until now had emphasised filling delivery orders at stores The 100,000 square-foot facility will take over the orders of several other stores when it opens next summer. Marc Giroux, Metro's head of ecommerce said that ecommerce is an "evolving market in terms of customer demand, customer expectation and in terms of technology and business models" #ecommerce #onlineshopping #groceryshopping #metro #retail #ecommercebusiness

Walmart announces new payment partnership as it looks to expand ecommerce options Source https://www.pymnts.com//interac-walmart-partner-to-advanc/ Walmart Canada is set to partner with payment services firm Interac, as the company moves towards further expanding its ecommerce business ... The partnership, which will allow customers the option to purchase services and merchandise on proprietary wallets, adds to a number of agreements Walmart has reached in providing shoppers with more options for paying, since the beginning of the current ecommerce boom This announcement is one of several recent moves by Walmart to expand in both ecommerce and traditional brick and mortar sales, including new Covid-19 friendly layout stores and free same day delivery for online orders #ecommerce #walmart #onlineshopping #ecommercebus #retail #onlinepayment

Payments Canada sees record growth in electronic payments Source https://www.finextra.com//payments-canada-records-surge-in In a report from Payment Canada, looking at spending habits of Canadians in 2019/2020, contactless, ecommerce and in-app purchases have risen drastically... Analysing the 22 billion transactions made in 2019, which totalled C$9.9 trillion, it saw a drastic rise in online payments, with predictions that the further growth of ecommerce in 2020 will see a further rise Ecommerce sales saw an 86% increase in this time, generating over C$54 million with clothing being the major source #ecommerce #onlineshopping #ecommercebusiness #onlinepayments

Ecommerce continues to help steady retail regrowth following early year fall Source https://www.retailcouncil.org//retail-sales-continues-to-/ Retail sales continue to steadily grow in Canada, thanks in part to the huge success of ecommerce, with new statistics from August showing another rise ... Growing 0.4%, to C$53.2 billion, retail saw goods such as building materials, gardening equipment and food and drink provide the largest sales, whilst apparel sales are still 12% down from August last year Ecommerce sales took up a bigger slice of overall sales, rising to 5.0% of total retail trade, up from 4.8% in the month before, which overall is a 60% rise year on year #ecommerce #onlineshopping #ecommercebusiness #retail #onlineretail