Number of Americans to shop on Cyber Monday nears 100 million

As online retailers put the finishing touches on Cyber Monday promotions, the number of people who plan to shop on the Monday after Thanksgiving may surpass even their highest expectations. According to a survey conducted by BIGresearch for Shop.org, 96.5 million Americans plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year, up from 85 million in 2008.

A survey released last week found that nearly nine in 10 (87.1 percent) retailers will have a special promotion for Cyber Monday, up from 83.7 percent last year and 72.2 percent in 2007. The most popular promotions are expected to be specific deals (42.9 percent), one-day sales (32.9 percent), and free shipping on all purchases (15.7 percent). Half of retailers (50.0 percent) will distribute promotions and deals to shoppers through a special Cyber Monday e-mail.

While some Cyber Monday shoppers will choose to shop from the office, the large majority will shop from living rooms and kitchens. According to the survey, 91.5 percent of Cyber Monday shoppers — 88.2 million Americans — will shop from home, while 13.5 percent — 13 million — will shop from work. (A Shop.org/BIGresearch survey released last week estimated that 69 million Americans would shop from work at some point during the holiday season.)

As Americans embrace the latest technology, 3.8 percent of Cyber Monday shoppers will shop from a mobile device, like an iPhone or Blackberry. In addition, a small fraction of shoppers (1.5 percent) said they will shop from another location like a coffee shop or a friend's house.

"As the number of Americans with high-speed Internet at home increases, fewer people feel the need to shop online from work," said Phil Rist, executive vice president, strategic initiatives, BIGresearch. "While many companies don't mind employees shopping online over their lunch hours, high unemployment and concerns over job security may cause more people to shop this Cyber Monday from the comforts of their own home."

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, 41.5 percent of Cyber Monday shoppers plan to hit the Web early in the morning, with nearly as many (38 percent) planning to shop late morning. In addition, one-third of Cyber Monday shoppers (32.9 percent) will shop in the early evening or late evening (22.7 percent).