Canada's more open trading environment has changed the landscape for Canadian consumers in recent years. According to an Industry Canada report, the amount of consumer goods1 imported by Canadians soared over 200% between the years of 1989 and 2002. And in 2004, Canadians consumed over $6,000 USD worth of American goods, per capita.

Along with the influx of imported products shipping to Canada from the United States have come a number of non-Canadian retailers. Numerous U.S. based retailers, often utilizing an LTL trucking company to Canada, have managed to penetrate the Canadian market bringing new formats such as "big box" stores with them. As a result, a more dynamic retail environment has emerged, with Canadians benefiting in the form of greater consumer choice and more competitive prices.

Non-traditional retailers, such as direct marketers and electronic retailers, have also seen success in Canada. Canadian consumers continue to respond to direct mail at higher rates than their American counterparts and an increasing number of Canadians are turning to the internet when making purchases. Rural Canadians, especially, have benefited from the greater accessibility that non-traditional retailers have been able to provide for them.

1 "Consumer goods" consists of two general categories: apparel and footwear and "miscellaneous" consumer goods such as televisions, radios and phonographs, printed matter, watches, sporting goods and toys, home furnishings, photographic goods and miscellaneous end products that are often imported using the services of a Canada LTL trucking company.