Canadian consumers exercise more brand loyalty than their American counterparts, according to one marketing executive. This observation was reported related to a new Multichannel Merchant webinar, “Driving Growth in the Canadian Consumer Market in 2015” (conducted 1/22/2015, but downloadable on demand).
“Canadians do a lot more research before buying, and they don’t like to be told what to do,” said Andreas Schwartz, Senior Manager of Direct Marketing for the Canada Post. “That might sound odd, but they’re more relationship-based people. There’s a trust element that goes beyond the pure consumerism of the U.S.”
Schwartz, the webinar presenter, noted that the brand loyalty, though stronger, takes more work to develop, and he warned brands to not risk jeopardizing relationships. What’s more, one of the points of the webinar is that American companies—if they acknowledge and handle the differences between the American and Canadian consumer—can find entering the Canadian market beneficial.
Other reports cast additional perspective on the differences between American and Canadian shoppers. For instance, a study by TD Bank noted that 
“general merchandise stores, like Walmart or Target, are more popular with U.S. consumers than with Canadians.” And the subsequent announcement that Target is pulling out of Canada is evidence—Target wasn’t able to attract the brand loyalty that Canadians can exhibit.