New research reveals Canadian mobile users are now spending an average of $2,500 annually using apps for everyday tasks from travel to food and grocery delivery.

The PayPal Canada study, conducted through the Legerweb panel this summer, reveals half of Canadians rely on an average of three on-demand apps.

The study found more Canadians are incorporating mobile on-demand apps into their daily routines to streamline daily chores and tasks with one in five using mobile apps for their laundry and dry-cleaning (22 per cent), beauty services (21 per cent), and grocery delivery (19 per cent).

“In today’s busy environment, we are witnessing an explosion in the use of food delivery apps, a trend that did not exist five years back,” notes Nancy Sahota, PayPal Canada’s Head of Consumer Segment.

Some of the first mobile on-demand apps developed, specifically food and beverage apps, continue to drive usage with 70 per cent of Canadians ordering their morning coffee or breakfast on the go. Nearly two out of three Canadians are using mobile apps like UberEats and Foodora for food and meal delivery (63 per cent).

In British Columbia, using mobile apps to streamline the morning routine is most prevalent with 78 per cent usage. Those in Quebec are least likely to use mobile apps to order breakfast (54 per cent).

Going further, the survey found a huge proportion of Millennials turning to mobile solutions, with 77 per cent using food and meal delivery apps, versus 43 per cent of Boomers.

The study reveals more than two thirds (69 per cent) of Canadians now rely on mobile apps for taxi or rideshare services, such as Uber or Lyft.

Parking apps are also seeing greater adoption. Nearly half of Canadians (49 per cent) are using mobile apps for parking, such as Green P or EasyPark. Both urban (51 per cent) and suburban (48 per cent) Canadians prefer the convenience of paying for parking through an app. Three quarters (76 per cent) of urbanites use mobile apps for taxis and rideshares, while 64 per cent of their suburban counterparts, and 52 per cent of those in rural areas, do the same.

The data also indicates that men are leading the charge when it comes to on-demand task-based app usage:

• Nearly three quarters of men (74 per cent) rely on apps for taxis or rideshares, compared to two out of three women (64 per cent). Men are also more likely to use a mobile app to get groceries delivered – 42 per cent, compared to 31 per cent of women.
• More men (32 per cent) use a task-based app such as a house cleaning service compared to women (22 per cent). Similarly, more men (29 per cent) are using mobile laundry and dry-cleaning services than women (17 per cent).
• Women (28 per cent) are more likely to book beauty services using mobile apps like Style or Soothe than men (25 per cent).

The online survey was conducted through the Legerweb panel. The study was in field between Aug. 30 – Sept. 6, 2018, and surveyed 1,807 Canadian mobile app users, 18+. The survey was offered Canada-wide in English and French. The estimated margin of error for the total sample is +/- 2.31% at a 95 per cent confidence level.

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