The Monday after Thanksgiving is still a time when millions of Americans pause to check out online deals and check off items from their gift list—but a one-day Cyber Monday frenzy appears to be going the way of the dial-up modem.
As The Associated Press reports, shoppers who have high-speed connections at home and on their phones are pouncing on deals that stores are spreading out over several days, leaving the so-called Cyber Monday online shopping bonanza in danger of losing its title as the top online sales day.
“Because Cyber Monday is no longer about the connection, it’s just another sales day that I can plan for, like a Labor Day sale or Fourth of July sale,” says Gartner analyst Gene Alvarez. “‘I know it’s coming, does it fit into my schedule, and will I do my holiday shopping that day, Black Friday or wait to see what comes up later?”
So instead of doorbuster markdowns on a select few products, retailers are shifting to a stream of discounts and alerts during the entire week via email and social media. Cartwheel, Target’s digital app, started offering holiday deals including 50% off one toy per day on Nov. 1. Amazon started offering 35 days of Black Friday deals on Nov. 16. And Walmart kicked off its Cyber Monday deals on Friday for the first time as it aimed to grab customers ahead of its competitors.
“It’s really this weeklong flow of deals,” says Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at the Consumer Technology Association.
