According to the latest insights from Leger, email remains a top purchase driver, and Quebec retailer Shop Santé is tops in online experience.

For the 2022 WOW Digital study, Leger polled nearly 20,000 Canadians were surveyed on over 200 websites and mobile apps across more than 25 different sectors.

Quebec supplement retailer Shop Santé was at the top of the list. According to Leger’s VP of insights, Luc Dumont, it had good results on discoverability and a star system for reviews that’s easy to use. He adds that the retailer’s tone, style and way of communicating with shoppers is “instantly recognizable,” based on humor and self-deprecation – something other brands can learn from.

Speaking to the benefits and importance of omnichannel experiences, Shop Santé, SAQ, Simons, Nespresso, Popeye’s and Lush were among some of the top performers in Leger’s WOW poll for in-in-store experience.

SAQ, the Quebec seller of wines and spirits, is in second place.

“What’s at the heart of its success is its Inspire loyalty program,” Dumont says. The points ecosystem is quite unique, and it’s number one in terms of navigation, personalization, loyalty and the capacity of the site to provide advice, Dumont says. The SAQ’s counterpart in Ontario, the LCBO, was the second-highest ranked in the alcohol category, but there is still a large gulf between the two’s online experience, as it ranked 141 on the overall list.

With Simons, Dumont says it’s perceived number one in terms of variety, delivery options, flexibility, how they follow through and on its returns policy. “The whole process is seamless,” Dumont says, and it’s truly a national success, as its online scores don’t vary by province.

Looking at specific categories, Metro, Amazon and Whole Foods were tied for the highest-ranked on digital in the grocery sector, though they were 45th on the overall list. In pharmacy, Well.ca was at the top. RBC was the top-performing financial institution.