Retailers who were expecting strong Cyber Monday sales over shoppers' lunch hour may have been disappointed when those sales were softer than expected, but quickly forgot about the workday crowd when early morning and evening sales beat projections. This year, many retailers saw Cyber Monday traffic and sales shift this year from midday hours to the early morning and evening hours as more Americans shopped for deals from home.
"With more people shopping on Cyber Monday this year and an increasing number of retailers offering promotions, this was the largest — and most important — Cyber Monday yet," said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. "Since retailers began highlighting Cyber Monday promotions five years ago, Americans' spending patterns have changed. More families have high-speed Internet access at home and don't need to rely on their work computers to make holiday purchases, which makes the early morning and evening hours crucial for retail sales."
A survey released Nov. 29 by Shop.org found that 41.5 percent of those making a purchase on Cyber Monday were planning to shop early in the morning, and a sizeable number of Cyber Monday shoppers planned to shop in the early evening (32.9 percent) or late evening (22.7 percent). The shift in spending coincides with a decline in people shopping from the office. According to the survey, 91.5 percent of Cyber Monday shoppers planned to shop from home on Cyber Monday, while just 13.5 percent planned to shop from work.
According to a Shop.org survey conducted by BIGresearch, 96.5 million Americans planned to shop on Cyber Monday this year, up from 85 million in 2008. And retailers were standing by to deliver to bargain hunters: nearly nine in 10 (87.1 percent) retailers offered a special promotion for Cyber Monday, up from 83.7 percent last year and 72.2 percent in 2007, according to a Shop.org survey.
"While many online retailers are breathing a sigh of relief after a successful Cyber Monday, they will quickly shift their focus to finding ways to bring shoppers online for the rest of the holiday season," said Silverman. "Many Web sites will experience another huge surge in traffic the week of De. 14, when shipping offers begin to expire, so companies are taking lessons-learned from Cyber Monday and planning to implement minor changes over the next few weeks."
