For retailers, one November holiday just isn’t enough.
While Black Friday has grown into a marketing bonanza over the past decade, Cyber Monday � the Monday after Thanksgiving � hits its sixth anniversary this year.
The term was coined in 2005 by shop.org � a division of the National Retail Federation � after the group noted that people were flocking to the Internet to shop, often at work.
“Cyber Monday is a better day for small and midsized businesses in general,” says Dan de Grandpre, founder of the bargain-hunting website dealnews.com. “Black Friday is so dominated by Walmart, Best Buy, Target. Every local news station always has that footage of people storming the store. There’s no such footage for Cyber Monday. No small business can compete with those images, but on Cyber Monday you have a chance. And that’s when you will see the better deals at those little stores.”
This year, shop.org’s sister website cybermonday.com will host a “Deal of the Hour” promotion. Individual retailers also will run specials on their own websites. Most often, retailers communicate their sales promotions through social media tools and email newsletters.
Shoppers can sweeten offers by looking for coupon codes on sites such as retailmenot.com, or shopping through a rebate portal, such as ebates.com, to earn cash back on purchases.
Other sites to check if you’re hoping to score a deal: Amazon.com‘s Gold Box section, Newegg.com and Walmart.com’s daily deals section. Websites like dealnews.com, crazytowndeals.com, techbargains.com and fatwallet.com sift through sales around the web to post the best deals.
de Grandpre says that shoppers should expect to find deals on midsized clothing brands like Aeropostale and Forever 21 on Cyber Monday.
There are fewer electronics sales, but Cyber Monday is the day tech enthusiasts will find higher-end products at a discount.
“Black Friday is the day for cheap stuff, and Cyber Monday is for higher-end technology,” de Grandpre says. “We’ve seen in the past some really good gadgets on sale. Expect to find something from a little niche site be it an iPhone case, Smartphone, a real favorite with the digerati. If we’re lucky, it will be the Kindle Fire or the Nook Color. Something that’s interesting, geeky, very trendy.”
The best way to determine whether a sale is really a bargain is to use a price comparison engine. There are several including Pricegrabber.com, but de Grandpre likes Google’s product search tool. The listing includes retailers that are not legitimate, but it is the most complete listing available. There are no engines, however, that include flash sales or special daily deals.
The most basic way to check a price is to compare it to Amazon.com’s price.
“We see hundreds of products at a better price somewhere else every day,” de Grandpre says. “I’m not saying it’s the only, or the best, place to get a bargain, but it is a simple way to check.”
Local retailers are getting in on the promotional buzz, as well.
La Tienda, a Toano-based Spanish food company, traditionally sees double the traffic on its website on Cyber Monday.
“It is always a wild ride,” says Lesa Robinson, a customer service manager for the company. “The phones will be ringing off the hook all day.”
On Monday, the company will offer free shipping on all orders over $ 99. The retailer has experimented with a new flat-rate shipping fee rather than offering periodic free shipping offers this year, says Laurie Hager, La Tienda’s marketing manager.
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s retail website WilliamsburgMarketplace.com is offering 30 percent off the entire website through the end of Cyber Monday and free shipping on orders over $ 49. The sale began on Nov. 21. It is an extension of last year’s sale, which began on Black Friday and offered 25 percent off items.
The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg and Smithfield Marketplace also offer sales that begin Black Friday and carry through to Cyber Monday.
The Daily Press advertising team will launch a daily deals website, dpsavvysteals.com, on Dec. 5. As a preview, the team has put together a special Cyber Monday sale that will include at least 50 percent off discounts on local health clubs, chiropractors, restaurants, gift shops and spas. The deals will be offered first to shoppers who subscribe to dpsavvysteals.com before Monday. The sale will open to everyone at 10 a.m. on Cyber Monday.
“I think people are more comfortable with online shopping than ever before; it certainly beats fighting the crowds on Black Friday,” says Amy Jordan of Taste Unlimited, a Norfolk-based company that has a store in Newport News. The gourmet food company plans to offer free ground shipping on all orders on Cyber Monday.
“I just read an article that said 46 percent of adults plan to shop online for Cyber Monday,” says Jordan, “So we are optimistic.”
Paitsel can be reached at 757-247-4737 or npaitsel@dailypress.com.
More online
Follow Cyber Monday deals and other local bargains at SavvyShopperToday.com. Connect with the Savvy Shopper at Facebook.com/SavvyShopper and text DPFREE to 71593 to sign up for mobile alerts.
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