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When in the year do Canadians shop online, and how big is the November-December peak?

November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's retail ecommerce sales in 2025, according to Statistics Canada monthly data released September 24, 2026. Updated October 18, 2026.

By Martin DejnickiUpdated Data through July 2026

Short answer

November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's retail ecommerce sales in 2025: C$6.2 billion in November and C$6.6 billion in December, out of C$59.2 billion, according to Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01. The share ranged from 19.5% to 23.7% across 2019 to 2025. Shares are computed by Deploi from unadjusted monthly sales.

November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's online retail sales in 2025

November plus December retail ecommerce sales as a share of the calendar year's total, Canada, percent, 2019 to 2025

2019 23.6%2020 23.7%2021 19.5%2022 21.1%2023 21.3%2024 22.5%2025 21.5%201920202021202220232024202523.6%23.7%19.5%21.1%21.3%22.5%21.5%

  • Shares are computed by Deploi as November plus December retail ecommerce sales over the calendar year's total, from unadjusted monthly values in Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01.
  • Unadjusted values keep the seasonal pattern, which is what this chart measures.
  • In 2025, November sales were C$6.2 billion and December sales C$6.6 billion, out of C$59.2 billion.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 20-10-0056-01 Monthly retail trade sales by province and territory, released September 24, 2026; shares computed by Deploi. Read on .

What this means for your decision

  • Sizing Q4 staffing, stock and carrier capacity? November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's retail ecommerce sales in 2025, and between 19.5% and 23.7% in each year from 2019, according to Statistics Canada, with shares computed by Deploi. Plan for roughly a fifth of the year's online sales in those two months. Do not read the sector share as a forecast for one store.
  • Picking the peak month? December was the busiest month in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, and November in 2022 and 2023. Plan for either month to peak rather than assuming December.
  • Benchmarking a store's own pattern? Compare the store's November and December share of annual sales with the 19.5% to 23.7% range. A share well outside it means the store behaves unlike the sector; find the reason before Q4 plans are fixed.
  • Reading event days or price effects? The values are unadjusted current dollars, so they keep the seasonal pattern and include price changes, and the table does not separate Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Use it for monthly timing, not for event-day volumes.
  • Preparing a Shopify store for the peak? For help getting a store ready for November and December, contact Deploi.

How much of the year's online retail sales fall in November and December?

November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's retail ecommerce sales in 2025, according to Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01, released September 24, 2026. The share was 23.6% in 2019, 23.7% in 2020 and 19.5% in 2021. Deploi computed each share as November plus December sales over the calendar year's total.

The shares for the other years were 21.1% in 2022, 21.3% in 2023 and 22.5% in 2024. Unadjusted values keep the seasonal pattern, which is what this chart measures. The 2021 share is the lowest, and the table gives no reason for it.

Which month is the busiest for Canadian online retail?

Canadian online retail sales peaked in November or December in every year from 2019 to 2025, reaching C$6.6 billion in December 2025, according to Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01. December was the peak month in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, and November in 2022 and 2023. Peak months are identified by Deploi from monthly unadjusted values.

Sales in November 2025 were C$6.2 billion. January 2025 was C$4.4 billion and February 2025 C$4.0 billion. The chart shows monthly values from January 2019 to July 2026, in billions of Canadian dollars.

Canadian online retail sales peak in November or December every year, reaching C$6.6 billion in December 2025

Monthly retail ecommerce sales in Canada, C$ billions, unadjusted, January 2019 to July 2026

C$0.0BC$2.0BC$4.0BC$6.0B2020202220242026C$6.6B, Dec 2025

  • Values are unadjusted monthly sales from Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01, so they keep the seasonal pattern.
  • Statistics Canada publishes the values in thousands of Canadian dollars; the axis shows billions.
  • The highest month was December in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, and November in 2022 and 2023; 2026 runs to July only.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 20-10-0056-01 Monthly retail trade sales by province and territory, released September 24, 2026. Read on .

Which month is the quietest?

February had the lowest online retail sales of the year in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, at C$4.0 billion in February 2025, according to Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01. July 2021, at C$3.0 billion, was the lowest month of 2021. Quiet months are identified by Deploi from monthly unadjusted values.

In 2020, monthly sales rose from C$1.7 billion in February to C$3.8 billion in April. The table gives no reason for the spring 2020 rise, and Deploi offers none.

How should a store use the November and December share?

The November and December share, 21.5% of Canada's online retail sales in 2025 according to Statistics Canada, describes the whole Canadian retail ecommerce sector and not one store. Individual stores can peak differently. Use it as a planning benchmark for Q4 staffing, inventory and carrier capacity, then compare it with the store's own monthly order history.

Over 2019 to 2025 the share moved within a range of 19.5% to 23.7%. A store whose own November and December share of annual sales falls well outside that range is unlike the sector. Find the reason before Q4 plans are fixed.

The data

Each chart on this page is drawn from the numbers below. Units are in the column headers.

November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's online retail sales in 2025

November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's online retail sales in 2025
PeriodRetail ecommerce sales (CAD thousand)November and December share of the year (%)
201922,485,63023.6
202039,348,09023.7
202146,387,95819.5
202242,389,20021.1
202345,076,40321.3
202457,571,30722.5
202559,239,42321.5

Download Canadian retail ecommerce and total retail sales, monthly, unadjusted, 2019 to July 2026 as CSV · All 6 columns on the dataset page

Canadian online retail sales peak in November or December every year, reaching C$6.6 billion in December 2025

Canadian online retail sales peak in November or December every year, reaching C$6.6 billion in December 2025
PeriodRetail ecommerce sales (CAD thousand)
2019-011,485,282
2019-021,329,557
2019-031,579,907
2019-041,657,973
2019-051,846,131
2019-061,936,049
2019-071,780,666
2019-081,817,070
2019-091,878,803
2019-101,877,598
2019-112,477,045
2019-122,819,549
2020-011,763,378
2020-021,689,265
2020-032,379,817
2020-043,797,262
2020-054,163,883
2020-063,495,999
2020-073,034,263
2020-083,167,082
2020-093,244,443
2020-103,294,369
2020-114,374,918
2020-124,943,411
2021-013,962,416
2021-023,437,177
2021-034,027,641
2021-044,158,847
2021-054,521,780
2021-064,049,615
2021-073,026,181
2021-083,201,736
2021-093,421,731
2021-103,525,996
2021-114,519,610
2021-124,535,228
2022-013,147,337
2022-022,634,197
2022-033,068,036
2022-043,248,766
2022-053,858,894
2022-063,834,021
2022-073,116,435
2022-083,540,308
2022-093,555,420
2022-103,460,299
2022-114,499,923
2022-124,425,564
2023-013,112,444
2023-023,021,990
2023-033,634,833
2023-043,435,243
2023-053,937,784
2023-063,833,102
2023-073,356,461
2023-083,562,850
2023-093,762,770
2023-103,799,403
2023-114,935,028
2023-124,684,495
2024-014,015,605
2024-023,712,135
2024-034,382,994
2024-044,511,254
2024-054,760,833
2024-064,566,048
2024-074,455,975
2024-084,398,623
2024-094,813,094
2024-105,018,759
2024-116,432,941
2024-126,503,046
2025-014,414,056
2025-023,985,960
2025-034,510,425
2025-044,881,056
2025-055,047,085
2025-064,743,938
2025-074,757,926
2025-084,561,453
2025-094,683,201
2025-104,934,131
2025-116,150,939
2025-126,569,253
2026-014,521,777
2026-024,052,475
2026-034,886,046
2026-044,984,643
2026-055,243,242
2026-065,706,625
2026-075,084,789

Download Canadian retail ecommerce and total retail sales, monthly, unadjusted, 2019 to July 2026 as CSV · All 6 columns on the dataset page

Methodology

Reading the chart: November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's online retail sales in 2025

  • Shares are computed by Deploi as November plus December retail ecommerce sales over the calendar year's total, from unadjusted monthly values in Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01.
  • Unadjusted values keep the seasonal pattern, which is what this chart measures.
  • In 2025, November sales were C$6.2 billion and December sales C$6.6 billion, out of C$59.2 billion.

Reading the chart: Canadian online retail sales peak in November or December every year, reaching C$6.6 billion in December 2025

  • Values are unadjusted monthly sales from Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01, so they keep the seasonal pattern.
  • Statistics Canada publishes the values in thousands of Canadian dollars; the axis shows billions.
  • The highest month was December in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, and November in 2022 and 2023; 2026 runs to July only.

Caveats: Canadian retail ecommerce and total retail sales, monthly, unadjusted, 2019 to July 2026

  • Values are unadjusted and in current Canadian dollars, which Statistics Canada publishes in thousands. They keep the seasonal pattern and include price changes.
  • Annual and 12-month rows are sums of 12 monthly values, computed by Deploi. Statistics Canada does not publish them in this table.
  • Ecommerce sales and total retail sales both cover the retail trade sector as Statistics Canada defines it.
  • From November 2022 to July 2026, every monthly ecommerce value except June 2023 and June 2026 carries Statistics Canada quality flag B or C, below its top grade A; earlier months carry no flag. The latest month, July 2026, carries flag B.
  • The table has no provincial ecommerce figures, so the ecommerce share is a national measure only.

Deploi's charts and compilation are licensed CC BY 4.0. The underlying facts belong to their sources, which are named on every page. How Deploi Shopify Data works.

Sources

Tier A sources are primary documents: filings, official releases and official price pages. How sources are ranked.

Cite and reuse

Deploi's charts and compilation are licensed CC BY 4.0. The underlying facts belong to their sources, which are named on every page.

APA

Deploi. (2026). When in the year do Canadians shop online, and how big is the November-December peak? [Web page]. https://deploi.ca/shopify/data/canada-online-shopping-seasonality Retrieved October 18, 2026.

BibTeX

@misc{deploi_canada_online_shopping_seasonality_2026,
  author = {{Deploi}},
  title = {When in the year do Canadians shop online, and how big is the November-December peak?},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://deploi.ca/shopify/data/canada-online-shopping-seasonality},
  note = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}

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<iframe src="https://deploi.ca/embed/shopify/data/canada-nov-dec-share-of-annual-ecommerce" title="November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada&#39;s online retail sales in 2025" loading="lazy" style="width:100%;height:550px;border:0"></iframe>
<p style="font:12px/1.4 Arial,sans-serif;margin:4px 0 0">Source: <a href="https://deploi.ca/shopify/data/canada-online-shopping-seasonality#chart-canada-nov-dec-share-of-annual-ecommerce">Deploi, November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada&#39;s online retail sales in 2025</a></p>
Embed: Canadian online retail sales peak in November or December every year, reaching C$6.6 billion in December 2025

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<p style="font:12px/1.4 Arial,sans-serif;margin:4px 0 0">Source: <a href="https://deploi.ca/shopify/data/canada-online-shopping-seasonality#chart-canada-ecommerce-by-month">Deploi, Canadian online retail sales peak in November or December every year, reaching C$6.6 billion in December 2025</a></p>

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  • Data: Canadian retail ecommerce and total retail sales, monthly, unadjusted, 2019 to July 2026 CSV

Questions

How much of Canada's online retail sales happen in November and December?

November and December brought in 21.5% of Canada's retail ecommerce sales in 2025, according to Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01, released September 24, 2026. Deploi computed the share from unadjusted monthly sales. It ranged from 19.5% to 23.7% across 2019 to 2025.

What was the biggest month for Canadian online retail in 2025?

December 2025 was the biggest month, at C$6.6 billion of retail ecommerce sales, according to Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01. November 2025 followed at C$6.2 billion, out of C$59.2 billion for the year. The values are unadjusted.

Is November or December bigger for online retail in Canada?

December was bigger in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, and November was bigger in 2022 and 2023, according to Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01. Deploi compared the unadjusted monthly sales values for each year.

Why use unadjusted data to measure seasonality?

Unadjusted monthly values keep the seasonal pattern, which is what a seasonality share measures. Seasonally adjusted values remove it. This page uses unadjusted values from Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01, in current Canadian dollars.

Does this include Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Yes, within the monthly totals, but Statistics Canada table 20-10-0056-01 does not separate them. Each value covers a whole month of retail ecommerce sales, so sales on those days fall in the November or December total for that year. November 2025 retail ecommerce sales were C$6.2 billion.

More on Canada

Changes

  1. · Canadian retail ecommerce and total retail sales, monthly, unadjusted, 2019 to July 2026
    First release on October 18, 2026.
Deploi is not affiliated with Shopify. Questions about this data: contact@deploi.ca.