TORONTO - Canadians will likely hit the malls in droves on Boxing Day, as they always do, but a growing number of consumers are changing their shopping habits and making their purchases from home.
While it's not an entirely new trend that more people are shopping online, retail analyst Wendy Evans says the popularity of social media networks has made more Canadians comfortable with shopping at online stores.
This year, Twitter became a household name, and now many retailers are using the short-text portal to promote their Boxing day discounts.
Meanwhile, Facebook allows users to become fans of their favourite retailers and receive alerts about upcoming sales.
Electronics retailer Future Shop says this year it expects five-and-a-half million Boxing Day shoppers on its website, which it calls a "steady increase" from last year.
Many retailers got a jump on Boxing Day this year when they launched discounted campaigns weeks ahead of time to encourage consumers to spend more.
