Comscore’s annual year in review report for 2023 shows that 32.9 million unique Canadians were reached by digital media in December 2023, a 2% increase from 2021. Although desktop plus mobile are the main platforms used by about three-quarters of Canadian adults for accessing digital content, mobile-only use has grown from 15% to 19% since 2020 while desktop-only has declined from 11% to 8% of adults.
Time spent online has remained constant, however in 2023, Canadians consumed 3% more time with their mobile devices. The average Canadian will spend over four hours a day online. In 2023, 75% of Canadian adults used mobile-only to access the internet, 25% used desktop-only. Time spent each month on apps at 89.8 hours is seven times that of mobile web.
Travel site visits were one of the top online advertising categories with cruises such as Royal Caribbean once again at the top of winter travel lists. At the end of 2023, 73% of Canadian adults visited travel content, one-third of them via mobile apps. That is a 23% increase over December 2020.
Numerous auto manufacturers saw an uptick in reach year-over-year including Ford, Volvo, BMW, Nissan, Land Rover, Toyota and Hyundai Kia. On average, 60% of Canadian adults visited auto content, two-thirds exclusively via mobile. Auto site visits experienced 6% repeat visit growth YoY and 7% growth in mobile visitors YoY. Of those consumer visits, 45% of Canadians feel that cost is the most important factor when making an auto purchase or lease and 36% say their family and friends are sources of information when purchasing a vehicle.
According to Comscore, holiday season 2023 saw an increase in engagement in digital retail, with a 92% reach of total digital population in December, with a 17% growth in total visits. A whopping 8.5 million Canadian adults shopped exclusively via mobile devices, a 27% jump over December 2022. Amazon was the top retail site across all age groups, followed by Walmart and Loblaws. The exception was the 55-plus age group that had Loblaws in second spot, followed by Temu and Walmart.
