Online retailers promote Cyber Monday deals

Retailers such as Amazon and Argos have geared up for Cyber Monday, after seeing a bout of successful sales on Black Friday.

Experts predict that 28 November will be the busiest shopping day of the year. The day follows the Black Friday weekend of retail price cuts, and is also when many people receive their Christmas pay packets.

US firms like Amazon, Best Buy and Toys R Us all launched shopping deals on Monday to encourage customers to start their Christmas shopping.

However, while the idea of Cyber Monday was first launched in the US, the term is becoming increasingly popular internationally, and marketing teams in the UK have jumped on the bandwagon.

"The 6,500 warehouse staff and 1,200 delivery drivers are ready and raring to go," said Argos distribution director Ian Howes.

"The most popular items being ordered today are likely to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, anything Cars 2 related, Apple iPods and iPads and digital cameras, plus LED Christmas lights."

Internet tracking firm comScore reported that Cyber Monday in 2010 was the first day to see $1bn spent by consumers shopping online.

Yet the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) said that sales may not be so successful on Monday this year, and may be more spread out over the weeks leading up to Christmas. The UK retail association has forecast that the UK retail sector will make £3.72bn in online sales in the next two weeks.

"Today could be a big online shopping day, but in recent years sales have been spread out over weeks," IMRG's Andy Mulcahy told V3.

"Quite a few companies, especially in the US, are offering discounts on goods, which is how they stimulate activity. But whether these discounts will have a huge impact on sales will remain to be seen. Because of the economic situation, similar discounts have been around for a few months already this year."

However, Mulcahy pointed out that this year's Cyber Monday has received more press than ever before.

"It's getting promoted heavily to the general public, which is likely to have an effect on sales," he said.

Meanwhile, comScore said that online retail sales in the US jumped 26 per cent on Black Friday this year to reach $816m.

Source : Rosalie Marshall – V3.co.uk
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2128178/online-retailers-promote-cyber-monday-deals-following-black-friday-success