The IT Nerd

PayPal Canada shared new insights from SuperData Research which revealed that gamers in Canada spend an average of 52 hours every month playing online games and more than half of them (55%) are women. Canadian gamers have an average age of 35 years and are eight years younger than their US counterparts. The research shows that 45 per cent of gamers in Canada play online or mobile games every day, compared to 39 per cent globally.

PwC predicts annual revenues in Canada’s online gaming industry to be $40M with a CAGR of 22.7% over the next five years*. Canada’s online gaming market has been growing strongly with total revenue in the sector greater than that of Italy and Spain combined.

Canadian gamers spend $200 per year on full online games compared with a yearly spend of $128 on buying in-game content. These gamers are also far less likely to trade for in-game items than the global average (22% vs. 44%).

Choice of device – smartphones versus PCs and Gaming Consoles

Gamers in Canada play across an average of three devices, roughly in line with global averages. Smartphones (66%) are the device of choice when it comes to online gaming followed by tablets (43%), desktops (40%) and laptops (34%). Among women, 74 per cent play regularly on smartphones compared to only 58 per cent of men. PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Xbox 360 were the most popular gaming consoles picked by Canadian gamers.

Other insights include:

• Gamers in Canada play games an average of 26 times a month and spend two hours per session.
• Mobile gamers skew heavily female (71%), while PC/console players skew male (56%).
• PC/console players game for longer with an average of two hours per session, while mobile gamers play an average of 1.5 hours per session.
• Almost half of online gamers in Canada (48%) live in an urban setting which is 15 per cent more than those in the US.

Gamers access a plethora of platforms and stores

Globally, active paying gamers polled shop across 14 different gaming platforms and nearly 30 different storefronts over the last three months, an incredible variety.

Leading the world, respondents in Canada and Australia purchased games from 28 different gaming storefronts–followed by Russia (27) and the US (26). The most popular online gaming storefronts selected by Canadian gamers were Google Play (30%), Steam (26%), Apple App Store (26%) and PlayStation Network (25%). Steam was resoundingly popular with Millennials with 35 per cent of Canadian Millennials and 31 per cent of global millennials reporting they shopped there for gaming content.

Twitch, the online gaming platform, is gaining popularity with Canadians with 29 per cent of gaming video content (GVC) viewers in Canada watching it versus a global average of 21 per cent. 

What turns players into payers

An easy payment process is critical to the online gaming experience. Games, platforms and storefronts that provide inadequate payment options may see it negatively impact their bottom line. While gamers prefer a variety in options for shopping, they identified one consistent need across game purchases—seamless payment options. With monetization models changing— developers and publishers need to have an excellent payment checkout experience to better serve customers.

• Many gamers are put off by issues like long or cumbersome checkouts and lack of security. Specifically, women and gamers aged 18-34 are most likely to be affected by a poor check-out experience.
• Security is top of mind for Canadian gamers as 20 per cent would pick their payment method because it was secure compared to 13 per cent globally.
• Canadian gamers state they would walk away from the online sale when selecting payment options (22%), entering billing address (20%) and entering credit card details (18%).
• Across the world, survey respondents selected PayPal as their preferred way to pay for gaming content, with ease of use and speed driving their payment method choice. PayPal was the most popular payment method used by gamers in Canada (26%).

*Source: PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2018-2022 Outlook:https://www.pwc.com/ca/en/media/release/canada-entertainment-media-industry-revenue-grow.html

Study methodology

This study was conducted by SuperData on behalf of PayPal, between February and March 2018 across 25 markets with 25,000 active paying gamers interviewed globally.

Bleepingcomputer has details on a hack of a subsidiary in Canada:

PayPal says that one of the companies it recently acquired suffered a security incident during which an attacker appears to have accessed servers that stored information for 1.6 million customers. The victim of the security breach is TIO Networks, a Canadian company that runs a network of over 60,000 utility and bills payment kiosks across North America. PayPal acquired TIO Networks this past July for $238 million in cash.

PayPal reportedly suspended the operations of TIO’s network on November 10th. Though we are only finding out about this hack a month later via a press release. That’s a bit of a #fail. As always, affected customers will be notified and the usual free credit monitoring is being offered. But you have to wonder what it will take to make companies do more to protect themselves from pwnage?

Ahead of the peak holiday shopping season, new research from Angus Reid commissioned by PayPal, reveals that Canadians will spend more than $2.5 billion using their mobile devices to shop for holiday gifts this year. In the third quarter of this fiscal year, more than 35 per cent of the transactions that PayPal processed globally, originated from a mobile device. The company expects to see a surge in mobile commerce in Canada over the holidays.

Canadian mobile shoppers plan to spend more than $200 on holiday gifts purchasing directly from their mobile device which is fairly close to the $275 which they plan to spend on buying gifts from a physical retail store. Many say they would use their mobile device to find and compare prices (62%) and research products (60%).

The latest holiday shopping trend is social commerce which is the act of people buying or selling directly from social media platforms. Survey data shows that one fourth of Canadians who own mobile devices plan to purchase a gift directly through an advertisement which pops up on their social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Of these shoppers, Millennials are more likely to drive social commerce (37%), followed by Gen X’ers (23%) and Baby Boomers (12%).

Mobile drives convenience and supports remote buying

Holiday shopping from mobile devices appears to be a preferred choice for those who live in Atlantic Canada. Four out of five Canadians in the Atlantic provinces plan to check off their gift-list by shopping from their mobile device because it offers more flexibility and helps them avoid long checkout lines, holiday crowds and parking hassles.

When it comes to gift giving, about one third (31 per cent) of Manitobans and Saskatchewanians plan to purchase clothing, shoes, and accessories with their mobile device. Quebecers, on the other hand, are preparing to gift experiences, with 21 per cent intending to purchase event or movie tickets from their mobile devices. A quarter of tech-savvy Ontarians look to gift the latest gadgets and devices, while 13 per cent of Albertans plan to put sports equipment and apparel under the tree – all through mobile purchases.

Finding the best deals

While holiday spending can quickly escalate, Canadians plan to capitalize on early sales. About one-third (29 per cent) of mobile shoppers plan to do their Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping with a mobile device. Items at the top of the shopping list include clothing, shoes and accessories, followed by tech gadgets and devices.

Gender shopping differences

Both men and women will use their mobile device to shop this year, though the survey found distinct differences in how they will make their purchases. Women estimate to spend more on mobile shopping for the holidays – an average of $200 compared to $167, which is the average men expect to spend. More men (64%) said a mobile device is their preferred shopping method for the holidays compared to 51 percent of women who are likely to use their mobile device to shop. More than one-fourth of male Canadians will buy a tech gift or gadget with their mobile device, while only 14 per cent of women will do the same.

Mobile shopping drivers

Mobile devices enable consumers to easily compare prices and inventory and avoid the holiday shopping frenzy at malls. Better variety and gift items in stock are key motivators driving this preference. Additionally, research found that mobile shoppers would be more likely to use a mobile device to shop if there were special coupons or promotions (51%) and if their financial information was safe (41%).

Study methodology

An online (omnibus) survey was conducted through the Angus Reid Forum panel (facilitated by MARU/Matchbox). The omnibus was in field between October 13-18, 2017, and surveyed 1,544 Canadians aged 18+ (including 1,044 mobile shoppers).Results were broken out by region, age, gender, income, and education for demographic comparisons. The estimated margin of error for the total sample is +/- 2.5 per cent.

An emerging form of entrepreneurship is making waves in the Canadian economy, according to new research from PayPal Canada and Barraza & Associates. It is estimated that 2.5 million Canadians, or about nine per cent of the adult population, have embraced a “5-to-9’er” lifestyle turning their passions into profitable side-businesses in addition to working a fulltime job.

This community of makers, creators, freelancers and service providers has gained notable traction in Canada. In fact, half of Canadian 5-to-9’ers started their business in the last three years. In the past 12 months, this small but mighty community reported combined median revenues of $2.5 billion dollars.

Canada’s 5-to-9’ers are online savvy and keen to grow

Young and driven to evolve, Canada’s 5-to-9’ers are eager to turn their part-time endeavors into a primary source of income. The research shows that these emerging entrepreneurs employ e-commerce tools to reach their vision of success. Their e-commerce arsenal includes extensive use of online marketplaces and social media networks, demonstrating 5-to-9’ers deep appreciation of the digital economy. From age to attitude towards selling online, Canada’s enterprising 5-to-9’ers differ greatly from traditional Canadian small business owners.

• More than half (54%) of 5-to-9’ers surveyed have seriously considered making their part-time business into a full time career.  More than a third (38%) are actively testing out the idea of becoming a full time entrepreneur, using this time in their small business journey as a launch pad.
• 5-to-9’ers are selling where Canadians are shopping – online. Over a third (32%) of 5-to-9’ers accept online payments for their goods and services leveraging a variety of e-commerce tools, like online marketplaces (59%) and social networking sites (52%). Turning the lens on traditional small businesses, less than a quarter accept payments online.
• The 5-to-9’er community skews younger compared to traditional small business owners. In some cases, there is a 30-year differential. More than half of 5-to-9’ers (54%) are between the ages of 25 and 44 years-old, which could explain why they are more comfortable using digital technology.

Despite their drive and determination, there are some barriers holding this community back from transitioning to full time small business owners. Limited access to start-up capital is the main (58%) hurdle identified by this group.

Women are paving the way, yet disparity persists

Women are dominating the 5-to-9’er landscape, representing 66 per cent of the community in Canada. Not only are women propelling this trend, the study revealed that they are more seriously considering fulltime small business ownership, compared to their male counterparts. While it is encouraging to see women taking a leading role in shaping the 5-to-9’er landscape, female 5-to-9’ers reported significantly less revenue than their male peers.

• Female 5-to-9’ers want to take their passion projects to the next level. Compared to men in this segment, the research shows that women are more actively testing the viability of full time small business ownership (38%), and are more likely to transition to full time small business ownership within the next three years (47%).
• There is a striking difference in reported revenue between men and women. Female 5-to-9’ers reported earning 71 per cent less average revenue compared to male 5-to-9’ers. A perpetuating pay gap could potentially hold women back from reaching their small business growth goals.

Notably, 12 per cent of women started their side business while on maternity leave. Women may be leveraging maternity leave as an opportunity to explore becoming entrepreneurs while simultaneously bringing in additional household income.

Overall, the research points to a growing, thriving community that has organically formed by leveraging tools like e-commerce platforms, online marketplaces, freelance software and smartphone apps to find success. While small businesses tend to earn significant focus in Canada, the 5-to-9 community is a rising segment of Canada’s economy that has tremendous potential to succeed if nurtured.

Complete study findings and additional information can be found here.

For more information on how PayPal is helping Canadian 5-9’ers thrive, visit www.paypal.ca/yourbusiness 

Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) are leaving money on the table, reveals an in-depth study commissioned by PayPal Canada.  PayPal’s Canadian SMB Landscape Study highlights that less than only one in five (17%) Canadian small businesses are using payment tools such as electronic invoicing, an online marketplace, or an e-commerce enabled website.

Canadian e-commerce spending is forecasted to reach $42 billion by 2018 and globally this figure is expected to hit $27 trillion by 2020.¹ PayPal’s study indicates that Canadian small businesses are not harnessing the power of e-commerce to sell where their customers are shopping – 80 per cent of Canadians shopped online in 2015 ² – and it shows up on their bottom line. Businesses that accept online payments as a complement to their offline revenue stream reported an average revenue of $175,000, which is more than double businesses that operate without online payment capabilities ($80,000). Businesses that only accept payments online reported an average revenue of $150,000.

Low e-commerce usage and appetite among Canadian SMBs

A significant majority of Canadian SMBs are not ready to participate let alone compete in the digital economy. The study shows that 83 per cent of Canadian SMBs do not accept any form of online or mobile payment and 71 per cent of this group said they would never consider selling online.

One of the first steps towards embracing e-commerce is building an online presence, such as a website. Today, only 7 per cent of the Canadian SMBs surveyed have a website capable of processing online payments and 34 per cent of businesses that do not currently accept online payments have no foreseeable plans to build a website at all.

What’s holding e-commerce back in Canada?

Canadian SMBs that do not currently sell online report several concerns that keep them from doing so. Chief among them is concern about providing the same level of service (30%), followed by online fraud (21%), limited understanding of technology (19%), and distribution or delivery issues (19%). Nearly three quarters (72%) of offline businesses claimed that they are notparticularly sophisticated in terms of technology and e-marketing knowledge.

Canadian SMB owners are primarily men above the age of 55

The geographic distribution of Canadian SMB across Canada is fairly even, according to study findings. The majority (67%) of Canadian small business owners are men and 63 per cent are 55 years of age or older. However, these numbers shift dramatically when looking at e-commerce enabled businesses – 77 per cent of SMB owners that accept payments through online and offline channels and 66 per cent of businesses that only accept online payments are under 55 years of age. Multi-channel businesses are the youngest group, with a median age of 44. There is also a significant under representation of women SMB owners. Only one third (33%) of Canadian small businesses are owned by women, and this is consistent across businesses that sell online and those that do not.

PayPal Canada’s Canadian Landscape Study Methodology

Findings are based on a PayPal-commissioned study which was led, designed and managed by Barraza & Associates, with execution and reporting by Northstar Research Partners. This study was conducted between December 10^th, 2015, and January 10^th 2016, on behalf of PayPal. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadian small business owners were interviewed online. 3% is the margin of error tested at the 95% confidence level.

By Meron Colbeci, Senior Director, Core Consumer Products, PayPal

By the year 2020, Gartner predicts that the average person will interact more with bots than they will with their partner. Bots have been around for more than 50 years, only now are they becoming a more visible part of our lives by helping to automate tasks. From scheduling calendar reminders, to new-to-the-market financial bots offering instant updates on your bank balance or quickly tracking expenses, each interaction is efficient, personalized and contextual.

At PayPal, we’re focused on offering our customers a variety of innovative, easy and secure ways to move and manage their money. With this in mind, we built on the Slack platform to launch PayPal’s very first bot. With 5 million daily active users, Slack is a messaging platform for teams that centralizes your conversations and makes them instantly accessible wherever you go. Now with the PayPal bot, you can send money between PayPal accounts without leaving your Slack conversation.

Whether your colleague picked up the tab at lunch or you are chipping in for a group gift for a teammate’s birthday, sending money from your PayPal account to a friend’s is as easy as typing, “/PayPal send $5 to @Dave.” See for yourself!

To get started, install the PayPal bot available on the Slack App Directory. Once installed, link your PayPal account and set your preferred transaction settings, including when you want to review and approve transactions. The PayPal bot is available to Slack users in Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S.

Today, person-to-person payments (P2P) is one of the most used feature on PayPal. In 2015 alone, PayPal Holdings processed $41B in P2P volume across PayPal, Venmo and Xoom – a 42% increase in P2P TPV YoY. In-context P2P payment solutions like the PayPal bot, voice activated payments through our recent Siri integration and in email via Microsoft’s Outlook.com are examples of how PayPal is continually contextualizing how you move your money. Install the PayPal bot today by visiting the Slack App Directory. 

Here’s a video of the process in action:

If you have a Windows Phone, BlackBerry or a Amazon Kindle Fire, PayPal will not have an app for your device after the end of June. The company said this in a blog post that was posted earlier this week: