Online Christmas shopping is certainly my cup of tea. Cyber Monday 2010 was even more fun than Black Friday & the deals will keep rolling until December 25.
Strong sales on Cyber Monday 2010 are making some retailers very happy, maybe even jolly. The good news was based upon a Coremetrics analysis released November 30, 2010. Yes, it seems that Christmas gift shoppers went a bit crazy on the first Monday after Thanksgiving, and according to the article “Cyber Monday Sales Show Strength - Even Following a Weekend With Solid Online Shopping, Heavy Promotions Help Produce Double Digit Gains for the Day” at wsj.com, Cyber Monday made more money than Black Friday.
Apparently, holiday merrymakers have become sick and tired of the recession. Folks are not purchasing boring toasters and jeans to give as gifts this year. And, consumers are buying presents for themselves, which is considered a good omen by Maneki Neko (Lucky Kitty) and by retail analysts.
Cyber Monday Sales Surge
Cyber Monday sales were very good for retailers, even though retailers had been experiencing a wonderful credit-card power-surge since Thanksgiving Day. More Americans than ever before decided to shop in their pajamas and slippers rather than to put on their elasticized jogging suits and drive down to the mall. Oh, what a practical, lazy bunch we’ve become.
Well, maybe not. We don't have to admit that we’re lazy. We’ll say that we’re environmentally friendly. Online shopping has a very small carbon footprint. Doesn’t that sound better?
And, shopping online is almost as grand as having a butler. “Jeeves, the car will be around in five. I would like you run down to Bergdorf's and pick up a few packages for me."
Well, maybe it’s not like having a butler. But, it’s better than trying to find parking.
Show Me the Money
Early estimates reveal that Cyber Monday sales were up about 20 percent over 2009. And, that’s after consumers shelled out $1.1 billion for online purchases during the Black-Turkey-Black-Friday deals on Thursday and Friday.Brick-and-Mortar shops must be quaking in their black Santa boots, although women know that shopping in a real store has its rewards. Nothing beats finding a perfect pair of jeans in a store dressing room. (When you shop from home there’s no salesgirl to hug.)
Toys and Online Deals
Here are some highlights of the frenzy, according to the Wall Street Journal article:
- WALMART has strong sales on Cyber Monday even though Walmart.com diluted the hysteria by starting Cyber Monday on Cyber Sunday. A Walmart bigwig claims that Walmart was up 30 percent on Black Friday.
- Toysrus.com was discounting as much as 60% and had free shipping.
- Amazon.com, like a good neighbor, offered a 47-inch TV for $599, but it sold out on Monday morning. Amazon’s traffic on Black Friday was up 25 percent.
- Target.com was up 9% on Black Friday, putting it third behind Amazon and Walmart.
- PayPal said that worldwide volume increased 21% by 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
- Ebags.com (a fave of this author) had sales that were up 51 percent.
- JCPenney.com had such a high volume on their site that their internet speed turned to sludge.
In a new twist, many pedestrian shoppers found their best bargains by toggling between in-store and online channels using mobile apps downloaded to iPads and smartphones.
It doesn’t seem like people have tons of money this year, but people certainly have tons of energy for shopping. Well, consumers have enough energy to rummage around for their Visa Cards and still have plenty of power left over for some strenuous left-clicking.
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