Amazon Reviews: Now in print

Online buyers in Canada are taking full advantage of the Web, scouring customer reviews and community sites for help making educated purchasing decisions, according to a new study by JC Williams Group (via Globe and Mail).

Around 38 percent of Canadian online buyers comparison shop, an increase of four percent from last year.

Shoppers also trust peer reviews more than any other source: 60 percent called reviews by other customers their most trust source, while newspapers or magazines garnered only 31 percent of shopper confidence.

The report, which was sponsored by Visa and Yahoo Canada, suggests brands prefer to conduct their advertising on community sites.

Social networking has only recently begun to make waves in Canada. Facebook has 3 milion Canadian users, making it the largest online social networking community outside the US.