A new study conducted by market research firm Vivintel finds that Chinese Canadian shoppers are twice as likely to engage in major sales events.

For this study, Vivintel surveyed just over 2,500 respondents residing in Toronto and Vancouver who self-identified as having Chinese descent – including those born in Canada, Canadians not born in Canada, permanent residents, international students, co-op students and those on a temporary work permit.

The report found that compared with the general Canadian population, Christmas shopping participation is similar, but Black Friday and the back to school season are more than twice as popular among Chinese adults in Canada (53% versus 22% and 30% versus 14%, respectively).

When it comes to online vs in-store preferences, the Chinese population in Canada is less likely to shop for groceries in-store (71%, versus 88% for the Canadian population as a whole), and far less likely to shop for pet-related goods in-store (54%,versus 81% for the Canadian population as a whole). The adult Chinese population overall, is less likely to shop in-store than the broader population across numerous categories, such as home improvement, gardening supplies, furniture, home accessories, sporting goods.

Compared with the broader Canadian population, Chinese buyers are far more likely to take an aspirational view of their spending, with 36% saying they like to live a lifestyle “that impresses others” (compared with only 8% of the general Canadian population) and 34% saying they would pay more for products that “elevate [their] status” (versus 9% of the general Canadian population).

This is Vivintel’s first installment in a series of surveys focused on capturing the consumer habits and mindset of various ethnic groups residing in Canada. Vivintel’s next ethnicity study will focus on the South Asian population in Canada and will launch in 2020.