BrandSpark does a lot of work profiling different Canadian shopper segments. How Quebec shoppers differ from other Canadians, and how Canadian shoppers differ from Americans, are two very popular topics. And generally speaking, the common belief would seem to be that Quebec shoppers are very, very different than Americans. Surprisingly, this is not true –Quebec shopper are thinking much more like Americans than their Canadian counterparts.
The way Quebecers are similar to Americans is degree of conviction in their own opinions. In our annual BrandSpark shopper study, we ask whether shoppers consider themselves an expert in each of the following categories: household care, health, personal care/ beauty, and food. The figure below shows the likelihood shoppers in each region see themselves an expert in a given category.
Figure 1. Perceived personal expertise by category
Source: BrandSpark International, BrandSpark Shopper Study 2019
The correlation is almost perfect – in every single category, Quebec Shoppers are almost exactly (+/- 1%) as likely to believe they are personally an expert as Americans, which in all cases is much more so than other Canadians. And particularly those in Atlantic Canada, whose conviction of personal opinion lags behind the rest of the country.
This has important implications for marketers given that, among other things those that see themselves as experts are less likely to search out reviews and recommendations from others. And sure enough, Quebec shoppers are less likely to do so than other Canadians – and Americans for that matter.
Figure 2. Regularly search for reviews
Source: BrandSpark International, BrandSpark Shopper Study 2019
This is just one of the interesting things we have learned about how Quebec shoppers are different from other Canadians. We’ll post some other differences throughout the year, while also ensuring to highlight some of the many ways they are basically the exact same.