Cyber Monday May Attract 72 Million Shoppers

-- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 11/26/2007 10:09:00 AM

A total of 72 million consumers plan to shop online from home or at work Monday, up from 60.7 million in 2006 and 59 million in 2005, according to a Shop.org survey. The survey found that 31.9 percent of adults will shop on Cyber Monday, up 17.3 percent over last year.

“Retailers will be unveiling a variety of incredible one-day sales on Cyber Monday to bring consumers to their websites,” said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. “Online retailers consider Cyber Monday a virtual Black Friday and will be offering promotions that will be tough to beat later in the holiday season.”

To prepare for an arrival of cyber shoppers tomorrow, online retailers will be unveiling an array of deals. According to the Shop.org/Shopzilla eHoliday Survey, 72.2 percent of online retailers are planning a special promotion for Cyber Monday, up from 42.7 percent just two years ago. Promotions will range from specific deals (29.9%) to one-day sales (28.9%) to free shipping on all purchases (24.7%).

Tens of thousands of holiday shoppers have already visited www.cybermonday.com, a Web site launched last year by Shop.org. The site compiles the best deals and promotions from more than 550 retailers, with specific information on one-day sales and Cyber Monday specials. CyberMonday.com, powered by Mall Networks, was created as a one-stop shop for consumers looking for the best online holiday promotions. 

While some Americans will be shopping from home, a large percentage also plans to take advantage of Internet access at the office to shop from work. A Shop.org survey conducted by BIGresearch found that 54.5 percent of office workers with Internet access, or 68.5 million people, will shop for holiday gifts from work, up substantially from 50.7 percent in 2006. In response to that trend, NRF and Shop.org will be marking Cyber Monday with a Shop@Lunch celebration event from 11:00-2:00 at the ESPN Zone in Washington. The ESPN Zone will be filled to capacity with more than 300 people waiting to shop online for special deals and promotions at the event, which will feature personal shoppers and gift card giveaways from retailers like Barnes & Noble, GiftCertificates.com, HSN, Sierra Trading Post, The Sports Authority, and Zappos.com.*

The survey about consumer shopping on Cyber Monday, which polled 2,395 consumers, was conducted for Shop.org by BIGresearch from Nov.22-24, with a margin of error of 1.5 percent. The poll on consumer shopping at work was conducted for Shop.org by BIGresearch from Oct. 31-Nov. 7. The survey, which polled 7,982 consumers, has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent. The Shop.org/Shopzilla eHoliday Study, conducted by BizRate Research, was designed to gauge consumer behavior and online retailers’ success during the winter holiday season. The poll of 116 online retailers was conducted Sept. 26-Oct. 8.

Shop.org is the network for retailers online. Its 600 members include the 10 largest retailers in the U.S., and 70 percent of the Internet Retailer "Top 100 E-Retailers."