Who are they for
ETF is more suitable for investors with long-term goals. History proves that equity market is always going up over the long run. As a direct exposure to the market, ETF will well meet your objective in the long run.
ETF is suitable for buy-and-hold strategy. Unlike mutual funds, frequent buy and sell ETFs will cost you a lot of in commission, and eventually bite your return.
ETF can help you to build a diversified portfolio, which you may not be able to do in local market. You can simply buy ETFs on Australia Bond, or Japanese stock market, instead of opening your brokerage account in Australia or Japan.
ETF is also fit for your RRSP strategy, as all iShares Canada ETF products are eligible for RRSP contribution.