Those looking to wrap up their holiday shopping on Wednesday won't be alone.
Moneris, Canada's largest debit and credit payment processor, said Dec. 23 is expected to be the busiest shopping day of 2015.
The company said spending over the first two weeks of December was up 4.49 per cent over the same period last year.
Spending in Ontario has seen a jump this holiday season, with a 7.86 per cent increase over last year, and British Columbia has experienced a 6.28 per cent increase.
Meanwhile in Alberta, where the province has been hit hard by plunging oil prices, holiday spending has decreased 5.85 per cent over 2014.
Retail analyst Doug Stephens said while retailers will likely discount products to get shoppers in stores before Christmas, the rise of e-commerce has diminished the sense of urgency surrounding the days leading up to Dec. 25.
"A lot of that shopping is being done weeks or months before, online," Stephens told CTV News Channel on Wednesday.
He said a number of stores are offering pre-Boxing Day sales. However, he noted that consumers' ideas about what makes "a great deal" has changed.
"The ability for a retailer to convince us that they have something in stores that we can't find anywhere else… that ability is really being hindered by technology," he said.
According to Moneris, retail sales have been up about six per cent across the country this year, while 2014 saw relatively flat retail sales throughout the year.
Spending in Canada on Black Friday increased 9.58 per cent over 2014, while Cyber Monday spending saw a 14.07 per cent jump.
