The Balancing Act of the Sandwich Generation
(December 2021)
Canada’s population is aging, and the burden of care for seniors
increasingly falls on their adult children. This growing “sandwich
generation” has the challenge of trying to balance the care for
parents/in-laws with their own careers, their relationships, caring
for their own children, and their health and wellbeing. Many
report feeling worried and overwhelmed, and feel the negative
impact on their health, relationships, and finances.
Canadian Recreational Cannabis Users Have Low Awareness of Recreational Cannabis Brands
(April 2021)
Almost 3 vears after federal legalization in Canada, recreational cannabis consumers have low brand awareness across even the top-selling recreational cannabis brand. This suggests that brands have not made meaningful connections with consumers and that their position as market share leaders may be tenuous.
COVID Impact on Canadian Attitudes Towards Home, Social Life, and Work
(May 2021)
A year later, Canadians are enjoying many aspects of the COVID reality:
• Less commuting, time to re-prioritize what’s important, quality time with family
But they are also showing signs of pandemic fatigue:
• Growing tensions at home; missing co-workers, running errands and socializing with friends
Pandemic Weight Gains & Losses Across Canada
(April 2021)
43% of Canadians have gained weight during COVID. Canadians of all ages, gender, and provinces are equally likely to have gained weight since the pandemic began. But 1 in 5 Canadians have actually lost weight during COVID, with men, 18-34 year olds, and residents of Saskatchewan and Ontario in the lead
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Expectations a Year Later
(November 2020)
2020 Black Friday/Cyber Monday continues to reinforce the significance of digital transformation at retail with significantly lower in-store shopping. In light of the current COVID-19 situation, few consumers in both Canada and the US are planning on shopping in-store this year for Black Friday vs. a year ago.
Ready to go Back to the Office during COVID-19?
(August 2020)
Employers should focus on minimizing risk (perceived and real) around all common workplace areas. The return of Canadians to the workplace after working from home is expected to be slow and with varying degrees of discomfort across the journey.
Alcohol vs. Cannabis… A Year Later
(August 2020)
Over a year later, more Canadians who consume both alcohol AND cannabis are stating that they do NOT expect to substitute alcohol for cannabis. This suggests that as the cannabis market continues to mature, consumers perceive cannabis and alcohol as fulfilling different needs.
Meat Consumption Post-COVID
(July 2020)
Post COVID-19, 7% of Canadians have tried to reduce meat consumption and nearly twice as many are open to doing so. Women, BC, Quebec and Ontario consumers are most likely to have tried reducing meat with the intent to keep it up vs. other provinces.
Fewer Canadians overall have experimented with being a vegan or vegetarian during COVID-19 vs. meat consumption reduction. However, 18-34 year olds and women are more open to adopting this diet/lifestyle.
Meat Consumption Pre-COVID
(July 2020)
30% of Canadians had already reduced meat consumption prior to COVID-19, with women, Quebec and British Columbia residents leading the way.
Younger age groups and women are more likely to be vegan or vegetarian relative to their counterparts, with no significant differences by province.
Summer Plans in Canada
(July 2020)
Most Canadians are planning on staying close to home with some also planning home improvements. We also see some interesting differences by province. Though many anecdotal stories abound about pool installations, they only impact a small percentage of the total Canada populations.
WFH Personality Types
(April 2020)
Among the working population in Canada and the US, the proportion of the workforce now working from home has more than doubled due to COVID-19.
We discovered 4 Work-from-home personality types using a marketing sciences segmentation analysis through a large scale quantitative study. Understanding your employee and colleagues WFH personality can help optimize productive work relationships during the quarantines.
Which types of businesses should stay open during COVID-19?
(April 2020)
Canadians are at least equally, if not more likely, than Americans to believe that the various businesses should remain open. The only exception is the dentist office, where Americans over-index.
Largest gap between the countries for public transit, taxis/ride shares and liquor stores.
Canadian Black
Friday Shopping Expectations
(November 2019)
Canadians plan to spend nearly as much time shopping online as in-store for Black Friday. This reinforces the importance of an optimized online experience and ideally, a seamless omni-channel experience.
Top items shoppers are holding out for include clothing for adults, consumer electronics, video gaming products and consumer electronics.
American Black
Friday Shopping Expectations
(November 2019)
Americans plan to spend more time shopping online than in-store for Black Friday.
They also plan to spend 3x as many hours shopping online and 2x as many hours shopping in-store for Black Friday than Canadians.
Items least likely to hold for include clothing for kids, sporting goods and travel.
How Smart is
Your Home?
(April 2019)
The U.S. leads Canada for smart major appliance ownership, largely driven by the younger age group of 18-34 year olds.
Future consideration of buying a smart major appliance closes the gap between the markets. And those who already own at least one smart major appliance are 2-3X more likely to consider another one vs. those who don’t.
THC vs. CBD
Canadian Cannabis Preferences
(April 2019)
Among Canadian recreational cannabis consumers aged 19+, preference is clearly for products with a higher percent of THC vs. CBD. However, 1 in 4 don’t even know what type they buy.
Recreational cannabis consumers appreciate the anxiety reducing benefits of CBD without the high.
Alcohol vs. Cannabis
Part II
(March 2019)
Among Canadian adults 19+, the incidence of consuming both alcohol and cannabis at least occasionally is 2x higher vs. that of cannabis only consumption. 30% consume neither alcohol nor cannabis.
Manitoba/ Saskatchewan has the highest incidence of cannabis only consumption and Quebec, the lowest.
Alcohol vs. Cannabis
Part I
(March 2019)
Almost 5 months since the purchase and consumption of cannabis was legalized in Canada on October 17, 2018, 19% of Canadians are consuming it at least occasionally for recreational or medicinal purposes.
Among those who consume cannabis for either recreational or medicinal purposes, half are recreational only consumers.
What’s in Your Super Bowl?
(January 2019)
38% of Canadians plan to watch the 2019 Superbowl. It is an in-home special occasion half of those who are planning on watching it.
Savoury and hearty snacks anticipated to have the greatest share of Canadians’ plates for the big event. 32% plan to eat healthier during the event this year another one-third agree that the Super Bowl is as much about the ads as it is about the game.
Super Bowl Viewing Intentions
(January 2019)
Nearly 2x as many Americans (66%) plan to watch the Super Bowl vs. Canadians (38%).
The Super Bowl is more of a social occasion for Canadians compared for Americans, while more Americans are likely to agree that the Super Bowl is as much about the ads as it is about the game.