Lauren Calder

The objective of this research paper is to examine the impact young people have on the future of electronic commerce in Canada. E-commerce is the latest in a long history of technological innovations that have had a significant influence on the global economy. Today, young people stand out as a group that has rapidly embraced technology, and their influence on their parents is stronger than that of any previous generation. Results of data analysis using Statistics Canada's Household Internet Use Survey demonstrate that e-commerce household heads tend to have higher levels of education and income compared to households that do not use e-commerce. It is also shown that households with young people are more likely to engage in e-commerce than other households, but generally place fewer orders and spend a smaller amount of money online. The extent of their influence and the popularity of certain e-commerce products vary substantially from region to region. Results of this research suggest that future e-commerce users will probably behave more like today's households containing young people, and while it is suggested that e-commerce use will continue to increase, it is not likely that it will have a major impact on the retail structure of Canada in the near future.