Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is a marketing term for e-commerce transactions on the Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It was created by retailers to encourage people to shop online. The term was coined by Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation and Scott Silverman, and made its debut on November 28, 2005, in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday' Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year".





What is the Difference Between Cyber Monday and Black Friday?

The origins of the term ‘Black Friday’ go back as far as the 1950s, whereas Cyber Monday’s origins are much more recent. The term was coined in 2005 to describe the Monday after the Black Friday when people continued to shop online after going back to work.

Although traditionally Black Friday sales focused on in-store deals, more and more shoppers choose to hunt for offers online, and the concept of Black Friday as the kick-off of the holiday shopping season is changing. The period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday is now often referred to as ‘Cyber weekend’, with discounts getting steeper and steeper as the sale progresses. It’s a great opportunity for retailers to clear their stock and gather useful data in preparation for the Christmas sale.





Online retailers offer deals, often posting the kind of deals and sales they will have on online forums and websites, several weeks and days ahead. It is thought that a large percentage of the shopping on this day is done during work hours. Keeping this in mind, several retailers offer extra lunchtime discounts to their customers.

Several other countries, including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom also now have their own version of Cyber Monday.





Consumers relish Cyber Monday for several reasons. Many people don't want to spend time away from family during the holiday just to get a bargain, while others don't want to wait in the long lines that form on Black Friday. Cyber Monday provides consumers with a convenient, hassle-free way to shop and cash in on some great deals. And with most retailers now offering free shipping as an incentive to shop on Cyber Monday, it makes shopping online even more attractive.





Prior to the advent of the internet, cyber was used in the formation of words relating to computers, computer networks, or virtual reality.

Today, cyber is largely used in terms relating to the internet, and it appears in many commonly used words. Whether you love or loathe the idea of a day of online shopping, Cyber Monday has already been with us for more than 15 years. As technologies continue to change, the ways we use the word cyber are likely to adjust, too! What will the next wave of cyber-realities bring?