EDMONTON -- Canadian holiday spending is up 1.8 per cent in 2019, with shoppers using a combination of online and in-store shopping to buy gifts this year.

The majority of Canadians are still heading out of the house to do their holiday shopping this year, says Heather Thomson, executive director at the Alberta School of Business.

“We’re seeing about 41 per cent of Canadians do their shopping online, which means a lot of Canadians are doing their shopping still in the stores, which is an interesting trend that I didn’t think we were expecting,” said Thomson.

Retailers make about 30 per cent of their sales during the holiday season, and Thomson says she thinks the 2018 Canada Post strike is one reason for the high percentage of in-store shopping in 2019.

“We’re seeing a lot of people potentially use the habits from last year’s shopping because people didn’t want to risk not having their shipment in time.”

Thomson says she doesn’t have specific numbers for Alberta, but Albertans are more “cautious” and typically spend less money than the average Canadian during the holidays.

“Alberta, typically we’re known for being a bit more of a spending province, but for some reason in the holiday season, we don’t spend as much as say Ontario, Quebec or B.C.”

The average amount a Canadian spends on holiday shopping in-store is $1,500. If they shop online and in store, the average increases to $1,700.

Thomson says Canadians that shop solely online spend slightly less than the average.

“Experience still is king. Especially with the holidays. People like to get out, they like to see Santa, they like to do the hustle and bustle,” said Thomson.

“This is something that I think is encouraging, and I think that we can expect to take some lessons over the holiday season to continue throughout the year that people still like to get out and do their shopping in physical stores.”

Canadians typically use the sales that stores have from Black Friday to Boxing Day, to justify their pricier purchases, says Thomson.

“People like to splurge and use this opportunity, the holidays, to get something they’ve been wanting for a long time.”

Thomson says that companies that are focussed on both their online presence, and in-store experience are the ones performing well. She says Amazon sales are doing quite well this year, because other companies can’t compete with its two-day shipping.

Sweet Boutique in St. Albert carries local brands, and has been offering special promotions to keep customers coming into the store throughout the holidays.

Karri O’Neill, a retail therapist at the store, says people are still craving the experience of good customer service, and expert advice in store.

Some of the holiday deals O’Neill says they’ve held have caused a line-up outside the store before it even opened for the day.

“Shopping online, you can’t get the whole experience that you can get by coming in store.”

O’Neill says social media is a big factor in bringing new customers into the store, especially when a customer has a good experience, and then tags or shares a post with friends and family.

“Honestly, social media is so big now. If you can become a part of that people will feel all involved and come in more. It’s how people really get to know what’s out there is just by looking online,” said O’Neill.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson