The internet’s response to Black Friday, “Cyber Monday” offers a chance for internet retailers to draw huge numbers of online shoppers with discounts, flash sales, and free shipping. The Monday after Thanksgiving began as a made-up holiday to give e-commerce site a way to compete with in-store shopping. Last year marked the first day ever that online spending passed $1 billion. With this year’s record-breaking Black Friday, retailers are again hoping for a good season.
Cyber Monday is also important to retailers because it shows which products are most popular, allowing them time to order more inventory for shoppers who procrastinate later in the month or take advantage of “free shipping by Christmas” deals. This year’s Cyber Monday is expected to top records again thanks to the prevalence of mobile shopping from smartphones and tablets.
