The Web’s Big Day - Cyber Monday - Kicks Off Net Holiday Shopping
November 28, 2008Looks like Cyber Monday retailers are handling their biggest day of the year the same way brick-and-mortar retailers are handling Black Friday – with more sales then they ever have before.
People who don’t want to fight Black Friday crowds will have a less chaotic shopping option just three days later. Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, is expected to be more promotional than ever this year as retailers offer one-day sales and special offers to bring holiday shoppers online.
On Cyber Monday, the ceremonial kickoff to the online holiday shopping season, online retailers will debut thousands of promotions to show what websites have to offer this holiday season. According to the eHoliday Survey, conducted for Shop.org this fall by Shopzilla, 83.7 percent of retailers will have a special promotion for Cyber Monday, up from 72.2 percent last year. The most popular promotions are expected to be specific deals (38.8 percent), email campaigns (32.7 percent), and one-day sales (24.5 percent). Additionally, nearly one-fourth of retailers (22.5 percent) will offer free shipping on all purchases. “As shoppers focus on price this holiday season, online retailers will be extremely competitive to offer the very best deals,” said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org. “Americans who are looking to put a dent in their holiday shopping will be able to find thousands of bargains on Cyber Monday.”
Cyber Monday, a term coined by Shop.org in 2005, began after online retailers noticed a trend of people shopping online on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Since then, consumers have flooded websites on Cyber Monday and come to expect robust promotions and specials that day.
To get a handle on holiday shopping, office workers won’t be heading to the mall over their lunch hour, they’ll be staying at their desk. This year, according to a BIGresearch survey conducted for Shop.org, 55.8 percent of workers with Internet access, or 72.8 million people, will shop for holiday gifts from work. The trend of employees with Internet access shopping from the office has continued to increase: in 2005, only 44.7 percent said they shopped online from work. Though slightly more than half of workers will be shopping from the office, some are more likely to make a dent in their wish lists than others. According to the BIGresearch survey, 70.0 percent of young adults 18-34 with Internet access will shop at work. Additionally, men are more likely to shop from work than women (60.3 percent vs. 51.5 percent).
