Looking to get the biggest bang for their buck this holiday season, a record number of Americans will hit retailers’ websites this Cyber Monday to take advantage of one-day-only deals, percentages off websites, and free shipping offers. According to a survey conducted for Shop.org, 106.9 million Americans, plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year, up significantly from the estimated 96.5 million who shopped on Cyber Monday last year. A survey released last week found that nearly nine in ten (88.2%) retailers will have a special promotion for Cyber Monday, growing each year since 2007, when 72.2% planned promotions.
“As the official kick-off to the online holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday shoppers will scour the Internet looking for holiday gifts from a variety of retailers, making sure to take note of specific prices and deals which offer them holiday savings,” said Joan Broughton, interim executive director of Shop.org. “Hundreds of retailers have already announced special Cyber Monday promotions ranging from free shipping offers to flash sales lasting only an hour or two. When it comes to Cyber Monday deals, shoppers know they can’t lose this year.”
Finding holiday deals has never been easier, especially with retailers investing in websites and applications. While the majority of Cyber Monday shoppers will shop from their home computer (89.5%, or 96 million people), a growing number of people this year say they will shop via their smartphone on Cyber Monday. More than seven million people (6.9%) will use a mobile device for Cyber Monday shopping, nearly double the estimated 4 million who shopped that way last year (3.8%). Additionally, slightly fewer people will shop on Cyber Monday from work this year (12.1% vs. 13.5% last year). A Shop.org survey released last week estimated that 70 million Americans would shop from work at some point during the holiday season.
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, 44.2% of Cyber Monday shoppers plan to hit the Web early in the morning, with more than one-third of (37.5%) planning to shop in the late morning. Additionally, over one-fourth of Cyber Monday shoppers (28.5%) will shop in the early evening.
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 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 Barnes & Noble, Lands’ End and Toysrus.com. (View the full list of companies and times.) Offers will include free shipping specials, dollars off, percentages off, and free gifts with purchase.
In addition, CyberMonday.com will be distributing hundreds of dollars in gift cards from major retailers each day through Dec. 25 to its fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter.
A portion of CyberMonday.com proceeds benefit Shop.org’s Ray M. Greenly Scholarship Fund, which helps students pursuing careers in retail. Ray Greenly was a Vice President at Shop.org before passing away from cancer in 2005.
About the Surveys
The survey, conducted Nov. 25-27, 2010 for Shop.org, polled 4,386 consumers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5%.
Cyber Monday, a term coined by Shop.org in 2005, began after retailers noticed a trend of people shopping online on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Today, Cyber Monday is viewed as the ceremonial kickoff to the online holiday shopping season, when shoppers flood websites expecting robust promotions and many retailers highlight some of their most compelling holiday offers.
Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, is the world's leading membership community for digital retail. Founded in 1996, Shop.org's 600 members include the 10 largest retailers in the U.S. and more than 60 percent of the Internet Retailer Top 100 E-Retailers. It's where the best retail minds come together to gain the insight, knowledge and intelligence to make smarter, more informed decisions in the evolving world of the Internet and multichannel retailing. Shop.org programs and activities include benchmarking research, events and networking communities.
