The Internet has made everyone’s life easier in many respects. It is no longer necessary to hand write letters, nor is it difficult to keep up with headlines from around the world or the score from Sunday’s game. Perhaps one of the biggest changes that the Internet offers, however, is online shopping. Gone are the days when you had to drive from store to store, hoping to luck out with a good sale. Now, all of your shopping needs are literally at your fingertips.
This is especially important during the upcoming holiday season. As has been evidenced by the pandemonium of Black Friday leading to record sales this year, consumers are on the lookout for good deals. The madness just continued with Cyber Monday.
What is Cyber Monday?
For those unfamiliar with this term, “Cyber Monday” debuted during the 2005 holiday season, and is the Monday following Black Friday. On this day, companies offer discounts on their websites akin to deals offered in-store on Black Friday. According to Cyber Monday statistics, this shopping day garnered $733 million in 2007, $846 million in 2008, $887 million in 2009, and more than $1 billion in 2010. With sales increasing exponentially every year, the popularity of this shopping day is apparent. Not only do customers get awesome deals, but they don’t have to battle traffic and other shoppers for their favorite gadgets and gizmos.
Companies made the most of Cyber Monday this year. In addition to email marketing and traditional marketing strategies, in which companies directly notify consumers of impending deals and can’t-miss sales, and websites from individual stores, there were websites that are devoted to compiling any and all Cyber Monday deals. CyberMonday2011.com was among these. When people visited this site, they were able to view deals, coupons, and read a blog related to Cyber Monday. This helped consumers find the best deal out there – making their money stretch all the more.
What about this year?
Shop.org, a National Retail Federation affiliate, predicted that 122 million Americans would shop Monday, and that 78% of retailers would offer deals and promotions. “I think you’re going to see an even stronger number this year,” said Beth Robertson, director of payments research at Javelin Strategy and Research. What this means is that, regardless of what time of day people surfed the Internet in search of the perfect deal, they were likely very happy with what they found. They not only saved money, but didn’t have to deal with crowds, or have to worry about being pepper sprayed over their Christmas wish list.
If you’re like most customers, you may be worried about having a good Christmas while still staying within a strict budget. With so many deals to be found, millions of Americans were able to get their shopping out of the way on Cyber Monday, and be able to relax and actually enjoy your holiday season.
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