The days following Thanksgiving usually are a time reserved for getting a head start on holiday shopping. However, current consumers are finding new ways to avoid standing in lines to get the deals and items they desire.
Cyber Monday, which occurs on the first Monday after Thanksgiving, has become a popular method for student shoppers to score the holiday deals they desire from the comfort of their own home.
Patricia Huddleston, a professor of retailing in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing, said online sales are expected to increase by about $96 billion this year. She said this popularity can is a result of its practicality for consumers.
“Shopping online is convenient,” Huddleston said in an email. “Consumers can shop at any time, from any place … and have the merchandise delivered right to their door. Most (stores) now offer next-day delivery, so the need to go to a physical store to buy gifts is decreasing.”
The unofficial holiday was first recognized in 2005, after the term Cyber Monday was issued in a press release by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation. Throughout the day, consumers can find many of the same deals as they would on Black Friday across a wide variety of websites.
For advertising senior Kathryn Walker, who has family living on the West Coast, shopping on Cyber Monday is an easier way to buy and transport gifts for her loved ones.
“Online shopping is more convenient, and the sales are better, and there is more of a selection,” she said. “Most stores have online-only options, and that gives customers a better variety of products to shop for, and also makes it easier to send them to different places.”
Huddleston said the range of items buyers can purchase online has broadened during the last few years, and retailers are using additional deals, called “door busters,” to encourage their customers to shop from the web.
“Formerly, it was not always possible to buy the same assortment online as in stores, but that trend has reversed itself,” she said. “Retailers are offering attractive discounts to motivate consumers to shop online, (and) some Black Friday deals were available online even before Thanksgiving.”
Although Huddleston noted shopping online is attractive to people who hope to avoid crowds and difficult weather conditions, other students, such as professional writing senior Kathryn Foster, said the convenience doesn’t compare to the experience of buying items in stores.
“I like shopping in person because the browsing process helps me determine what I would like to buy,” she said. “I don’t like browsing online because you don’t just come across things you weren’t intentionally looking for, which is half the fun.”
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