It’s Cyber Monday and the Retail Council of Canada says the majority of people are thinking about where their money goes.

Senior Retail Adviser Michael LeBlanc says the general population is well aware that it’s important to shop local and support their economy. “85% of Canadians told us it was important to spend their money in Canada. So Canadians are connecting the dots, they’re very savvy. They understand that money spent in their community helps provide jobs, helps provide the sponsorship of the local soccer team and often time that extends into online… And by-and-large we see that now that we’ve got these Black Friday, Cyber Monday, we’ve eliminated any need to either spend the hassle to go across the border or get the hassle of shopping from outside Canada and the hassle of getting the product across the border.”

LeBlanc says people are starting to begin shopping earlier as a result of promotional days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. “Something like 70% of Canadians have started their shopping in the month of November. And that’s another trend that we have seen push out of December. It used to be later and later and later, but now with online shopping and Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we’re seeing sales shift into November”

LeBlanc says days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a huge deal for the Canadian retail sector and many places plan almost a full year in advance of the date in order to make sure they’re ready. He says the next big one-off day is Boxing Day.