Although 141 million Americans took advantage of retailers’ holiday deals over Thanksgiving weekend, one of the biggest promotional events of the year is still to come. According to a National Retail Federation survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics over the weekend, more than 131 million (54.8 percent) shoppers plan to go online for Cyber Monday, up from the 129 million who participated last year.
“Despite record-breaking online shopping Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, holiday shoppers aren’t done yet; we expect Cyber Monday to be bigger than ever,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
When asked how they plan to shop on Cyber Monday, 24.8 million (18.9 percent) said they will use their mobile device, a 22 percent increase from the 20.4 million last year and a drastic change from only 3.7 million in 2009. Mobile retailing continues to grow every year as consumers increasingly rely on their smartphones and tablets to research and purchase products. And, retailers are eager to meet consumer demand from these savvy customers as more than half (54.7 percent) of retailers surveyed in Shop.org’s November eHoliday survey said they invested in optimizing their mobile websites prior to the holiday season.
According to NRF’s Thanksgiving weekend survey results, 42.1 percent of holiday shoppers indicated they shopped online at some point over the weekend, and according to Shop.org’s eHoliday survey, Thanksgiving weekend shoppers had numerous online deals to choose from. But recently-released data indicates retailers may have saved the best online deals for last: Shop.org’s eHoliday survey found that eight in 10 (81.4 percent) online retailers will offer specific Cyber Monday deals.
“Regardless of the exciting online promotions we’ve already seen, retailers are prepared to pull out all the stops for their Cyber Monday shoppers,” said Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell. “Recognizing that mobile was going to be a big driver of weekend sales, many companies planned well in advance to have their mobile websites and apps cleaned up and their supply chain operations ready for record-breaking digital holiday traffic. We expect to see more focus on mobile as we head into December as companies look for unique ways to compete this holiday season.”
As for when they’ll shop, 43.3 percent of will pounce on Cyber Monday deals first thing in the morning. Others will shop over their lunch hour (19.3 percent) or early afternoon (33.0 percent).
“An extremely promotional Thanksgiving weekend got consumers excited about the holiday shopping season and on the lookout for more great deals and prices,” said Prosper’s Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow. “Shoppers are still checking off their gift lists and millions will use Cyber Monday to hunt for remaining items while staying in line with their budgets.”
Approaching Cyber Monday, This is Retail Highlights Supply Chain Demands
NRF’s This is Retail website features a brand new video with an inside look at eCommerce operations and what happens behind the scenes at retail warehouses to get goods to consumers. Over 365 million packages will be shipped worldwide this holiday season.
Shop.org Reveals Retailers Participating in CyberMonday.com Deals of the Hour
Shop.org’s CyberMonday.com, which features holiday promotions and special savings from hundreds of retail companies, 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.com, QVC.com, Kohl’s, Neiman Marcus, and eBags.com. View the full list of companies and times here. Offers will include free shipping, dollars off, percentages off, and free gifts with purchase.
About the Survey
The survey, conducted November 29 – 30 by Prosper Insights & Analytics for NRF, polled 4,464 consumers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percent.
