As
online retailers put the finishing touches on Cyber Monday promotions,
the number of people who plan to shop on the Monday after Thanksgiving
may surpass even their highest expectations. According to a survey
conducted for Shop.org by BIGresearch, 96.5 million Americans plan to
shop on Cyber Monday this year, up from 85 million in 2008.
“Americans
appreciate the convenience of shopping online, which doesn’t require
standing in line, circling for a parking spot, or even changing out of
your pajamas,” said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org.
“Online retailers have been working overtime to make sure their Cyber
Monday promotions are enticing, so shoppers can expect incredible
bargains on popular holiday items, percentages off entire websites, and
a lot of free shipping.”
A survey released last week
found that nearly nine in ten (87.1%) retailers will have a special
promotion for Cyber Monday, up from 83.7 percent last year and 72.2
percent in 2007. The most popular promotions are expected to be
specific deals (42.9%), one-day sales (32.9%), and free shipping on all
purchases (15.7%). Half of retailers (50.0%) will distribute promotions
and deals to shoppers through a special Cyber Monday email.
While
some Cyber Monday shoppers will choose to shop from the office, the
large majority will shop from living rooms and kitchens all across the
country.* According to the survey, 91.5 percent of Cyber Monday
shoppers – or 88.2 million Americans – will shop from home on Cyber
Monday while 13.5 percent, or 13 million people, will shop from work.
(A Shop.org/BIGresearch survey released last week estimated that 69 million Americans would shop from work at some point during the holiday season.)
As
Americans embrace the latest technology, 3.8 percent of Cyber Monday
shoppers will shop from a mobile device like an iPhone or a Blackberry.
In addition, a small fraction of shoppers (1.5%) said they will shop
from another location like a coffee shop or a friend’s house.
“As the number of Americans with high-speed internet at home increases, fewer people feel the need to shop online from work,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch.
“While many companies don’t mind employees shopping online over their
lunch hours, high unemployment and concerns over job security may cause
more people to shop this Cyber Monday from the comforts of their own
home.”
While
many retailers expect to see sales and traffic spike over lunch hours,
Cyber Monday shoppers plan to go online throughout the day. According
to the survey, 41.5 percent of Cyber Monday shoppers plan to hit the
web early in the morning, with nearly as many (38.0%) planning to shop
late morning. In addition, one-third of Cyber Monday shoppers (32.9%)
will shop in the early evening or late evening (22.7%).
Shop.org’s CyberMonday.com, which features
holiday promotions and special savings from more than 700 retailers,
was created by retailers as a one-stop shop for consumers looking for
the best Cyber Monday promotions.
In
addition to hundreds of special offers, some of which will be exclusive
promotions available only on the site, CyberMonday.com will be
featuring a Deal of the Hour on its front page tomorrow, highlighting a
different retail promotion every 60 minutes. Retailers participating in the Cyber Monday Deal of the Hour include Sears, Borders, The Home Depot and Red Envelope.
