FedEx Boosts e-Fleet in time for holiday online shopping

The 2023 holiday season is approaching, and gift-giving Canadians are being resourceful to try to avoid feeling the pinch of inflation. According to the annual ‘FedEx Express Holiday Shopping Survey,’ 85 percent of Canadians who plan to shop for the holidays say they are likely to face more budget pressure this year with 37 percent saying they intend to spend less than they did last year, a significant jump from 22 percent in 2022.

The survey also reveals that more than half of Canadians (57 percent) prefer to shop online compared to in-store. Of those survey respondents who plan to do holiday shopping online this year, 66 percent do so for the convenience, 59 percent do so to save time, and almost half (46 percent) do so to easily compare specs and pricing. One-third (34 percent) say they leverage online shopping for lower prices on their holiday purchases.   

Just as Canadians gradually embraced online shopping over the years, FedEx Express Canada is also undergoing a paradigm-altering transformation, with electric vehicles joining its fleet of delivery vehicles. This past June, FedEx Express Canada introduced its first 50 BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery vans in Toronto, ON, Montreal, QC, and Surrey, BC, and recently added another 10 in Surrey.  

The survey shows that the introduction of electric vehicles aligns with the views of nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of Canadian shoppers who state that a switch to electric vehicles is a step in the right direction for the environment. FedEx also continues to invest in its electric cargo bike fleet, which it first launched in 2020 and has since expanded to several cities across Canada. These bikes provide a more agile solution for residential deliveries, while helping to reduce traffic, and air and noise pollution in crowded urban centres.