AI is reshaping how consumers in Canada search, shop, and spend time with media. As digital adoption deepens, brands, publishers, and retailers face the need to adapt to AI-driven discovery and commerce, or risk losing out in a rapidly changing market.

Canada’s digital economy is entering a faster, more competitive phase in 2026 as ad spending accelerates, short video surges, ecommerce climbs, and AI-driven search reshapes how audiences discover content.

As advertisers demand clearer evidence of campaign effectiveness, retail media networks (RMNs) are investing in advanced attribution tools. Loblaw Advance, the retail media network of Canadian retailer Loblaw Companies Limited, is taking this step with its new multi-touch attribution (MTA) solution.

Companies are beginning to feel the sting of anti-US boycotts. Anti-US sentiment is especially visible in Canada, where consumers are directing more spending to local retailers and brands—and making fewer visits south of the border. Still, while Canadians are using boycotts to push back against US trade policy, there are few signs elsewhere that anti-American sentiment is driving shoppers away from US brands.

Canada’s trade war with its largest trading partner is underway. While uncertainty remains around the scope and depth of US tariffs, Canadian brands and retailers need to rebalance a heavy reliance on US-based customers and suppliers.

Tariffs threaten Canada’s retail sales recovery: Confidence is falling as consumers brace for higher prices and economic upheaval.

CMOs and brand strategists are using generative AI-powered tools to enhance their advertising and media strategies. Marketing teams can harness this technology in six key ways to drive results.

Our annual report on ecommerce in Canada highlights our most recent forecasts for all flavors of retail, including brick-and-mortar, digital buying, and mobile commerce.

Canada’s click-and-collect buyer growth tops our rankings among the countries we forecast. It’s a key option for consumers in Canada who prefer speedier order fulfillment and want to avoid home-delivery costs.

Our predictions for retail media networks, smart TV watching, and generative AI.

Walmart expands in-store retail media opportunities: The big-box retailer is giving advertisers more opportunities to reach physical shoppers with digital screens, audio ads, and sampling.

The ecommerce boom in Canada means many product categories now sell a significant percentage online. This includes grocery, which we forecast for the first time this year.

In-store retail media initiatives are gaining momentum: Loblaw, Macy’s, and Schnucks Markets are the latest retailers to invest in the channel.

Canada’s consumers are slowly but surely shifting to online shopping, with ecommerce more than doubling its share of total retail sales since 2019. In this report, we look at the various retail milestones Canada will reach in 2022, as well as our first-ever breakdown of the country’s ecommerce sales by product category.

Despite rapid grocery’s well-documented struggles, companies continue to invest in the space: Retailers see value in quick commerce even as Gorillas, Jokr, and others scale back their ambitions.

As digital audio consumption increases, the advertising market in Canada is developing rapidly to reach new listeners.

Food and grocery delivery has spiked during the pandemic. Apps like SkipTheDishes, Uber Eats, and Instacart have gained new users who turned to delivery out of necessity. For marketers, these apps present a new opportunity to reach consumers with ad products rich in intent and location data.

After a challenging 2020, which saw big shifts in how digital media was consumed and how marketing adapted, we anticipate five developments will have a lasting impact on Canada’s digital economy.

Amazon is already one of the top digital retailers in Canada. But that may not be the case with digital grocery, a highly competitive space where established players are vying to fill up virtual shopping carts. eMarketer spoke with Michael LeBlanc, founder and principal of M.E. LeBlanc & Company, about Amazon's role in the country's overall ecommerce landscape and its digital grocery sector.