"Consumer preferences have shifted permanently," said Finkelstein, in a call with analysts. "The centre of gravity was off-line. It is now online and there's no going back to the pre-pandemic version of that." The shift has been a boon for the Ottawa e-commerce giant, which helps businesses run online stores but has long had to contend with online purchases compromising less than 10 per cent of retail sales for years. The pandemic with its temporary store closures and explosion of online offerings pushed the proportion of e-commerce sales in Canada to new records. In April 2020, it hit a record 11.4 per cent.