Is Cyber Monday the new Black Friday?
Amanda C. Haury
While Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, Cyber Monday is one of the biggest shopping days for online consumers. With retailers offering rock-bottom prices on a variety of products, some of the Cyber Monday deals give the highly coveted Black Friday sales a true run for their money. Does this mean that Cyber Monday is the new Black Friday? The answer to this question depends on the type of shopper you are and how good the deals are in stores near you. Here are three reasons why Cyber Monday may just be the New Black Friday.
More Enjoyable Than Black Friday Shopping
While many consumers take advantage of Black Friday shopping, it should be said that Black Friday shopping is no walk in the park. Black Friday hassles include long lines, over-crowded stores and low stock of highly sought after merchandise. The reason why Cyber Monday performs so well is that you can shop for your holiday gifts from the comfort of your own home. There is no need to rush out right after Thanksgiving dinner, stand in line in the cold and camp out for the doors to open at your local big box store. Cyber Monday allows consumers to shop for merchandise at rock-bottom prices without having to leave their homes.
Tremendous Deals That Rival Black Friday Sales
According to an article released by msn.com, many consumers are holding out until Cyber Monday for the best deals on merchandise. In 2011, Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day of the year with over $1.25 billion in sales. While many Cyber Monday ads are still under lock and key by retailers across the country, there are some who have given consumers a sneak peak. Surprisingly, many of these Cyber Monday ads rival Black Friday ads, which gives consumers much to consider in terms of when they will be going shopping this year.
Survey Expects a Huge Turnout for Cyber Monday 2012
CouponCabin.com has conducted a consumer survey and the findings show that almost half of the consumers surveyed plan to spend more money shopping online on Cyber Monday than in stores during the entire holiday season. Another notable finding from the survey includes 42% of consumers plan to scope out the deals on Black Friday and plan to make their purchases on Cyber Monday. Only time will tell if the surveys findings will ring true after the Cyber Monday sales figures are tallied. If 2012 follows suit with previous years, Cyber Monday will be a very good sales day indeed.
The Bottom Line
While the premise of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is similar, the way consumers shop is considerably different. Black Friday and Cyber Monday both aim to attract consumers to purchase more than they normally would with low prices and over-hyped ads. While Black Friday pulls massive crowds of consumers into retail stores across the country, Cyber Monday has consumers logging in, browsing and shopping online. Cyber Monday has the potential to increase sales and many retail stores offering free shipping.
While Cyber Monday does not replace Black Friday, it is definitely giving shoppers a serious second alternative to waking up before dawn, standing in long lines and dealing with holiday season retail stress. This year is looking to be a great one for Cyber Monday and Black Friday sales, but it remains to be seen which day will reign supreme when it comes to sales.
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