{"id":74230,"date":"2016-12-09T01:14:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T01:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interac1.wpengine.com\/content\/%content-category%\/interac-predicts-holiday-shopping-to-peak-on-december-23-the-busiest-shopping-day-of-the-year\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T17:01:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T21:01:29","slug":"interac-predicts-holiday-shopping-to-peak-on-december-23-the-busiest-shopping-day-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/www.interac.ca\/en\/content\/news\/interac-predicts-holiday-shopping-to-peak-on-december-23-the-busiest-shopping-day-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Interac predicts holiday shopping to peak on December 23 \u2013 the busiest shopping day of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadians expected to spend over $1 billion on December 23<\/strong><\/p>\n

TORONTO, December 8, 2016 \u2013<\/strong> With consumers dashing out to buy food, drinks and last-minute gifts for the holidays, December 23 is anticipated to be the busiest shopping day of the year, according to data released today by Interac <\/em>Association\/Acxsys Corporation (\u201cInterac\u201d).<\/p>\n

According to Interac <\/em>point-of-sale data, Canadians made over 21 million transactions and spent over $1 billion on December 23, 2015. This made it the busiest shopping day of the year for Interac, beating out December 24 and Black Friday (November 27) in total spend and transactions.<\/p>\n

Of all purchases made on December 23, grocery stores ($217.6 million) were the most popular merchants, followed by discount retailers ($88.4 million) and stores selling beer, wine and liquor ($74.3 million).<\/p>\n

According to a survey commissioned and released by Interac and conducted by Maru\/Matchbox, 2016 is shaping up to be just as busy as 2015. One third of Canadians (31 per cent) said they will be shopping on December 23 \u2013 nearly the same number who said they will be working.<\/p>\n

No surprise here: when it comes to holiday shopping, survey respondents said they dislike crowded stores and malls the most (69 per cent) followed by long lines at checkout (62 per cent). In fact, they said the single greatest thing that would make their lives easier would be to speed through the checkout line (60 per cent). Instead of fumbling for cash, shoppers can spend more time with family and friends by paying with Interac <\/em>Flash at checkout.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur recent data shows Canadians are embracing the speed and convenience of Interac<\/em> Flash. For the month of November 2016, Interac<\/em> Flash volumes have nearly doubled compared to the same period in 2015,\u201d said Martin Ho, AVP of Product Management, Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation. \u201cWith the holidays nearly upon us, Canadians can rely on Interac<\/em> Flash to speed through the busy checkout lines with ease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canadians can plan for a merry January when they pay using Interac<\/em> Debit and Interac<\/em> Flash as they won\u2019t incur debt from their purchases. They can pay for their purchases quickly and securely using money from their bank accounts. This is good news for the one third of respondents (33 per cent) who were concerned about overspending and the four out of ten (42 per cent) who felt financially squeezed during the holidays.<\/p>\n

Busiest Shopping Day \u2013 2015 vs. 2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Period<\/strong><\/td>\nTotal Number of Transactions<\/strong><\/td>\nTotal Transaction Value<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December 23, 2015<\/td>\n21.3 Million<\/td>\n$1.1 Billion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December 23, 2014<\/td>\n19.7 Million<\/td>\n$993.4 Million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GROWTH<\/strong><\/td>\n8.2%<\/td>\n7.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Busiest Shopping Days \u2013 2015<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Period<\/strong><\/td>\nTotal Number of Transactions<\/strong><\/td>\nTotal Transaction Value<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December 23, 2015<\/td>\n21.3 Million<\/td>\n$1.1 Billion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December 24, 2015<\/td>\n19.8 Million<\/td>\n$966.6 Million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
November 27, 2015<\/td>\n19.8 Million<\/td>\n$959.7 Million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
All December 2015<\/td>\n473 Million<\/td>\n$21.2 Billion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\nAdditional Survey Findings<\/em><\/p>\n