Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day ever

After chaotic scenes at some stores on Black Friday last year, this year saw much calmer trading as more shoppers made a decision to hunt for bargains online. “That’s part of the reason we think Cyber Monday won’t continue to be the biggest online day going forward in a couple of years”. “We’ll see a less dramatic spike on Cyber Monday”.

Top-selling items included Lego Star Wars, the Barbie Dream House, Samsung 4k television sets and Apple Inc’s iPad Mini. But enough shoppers have been trained to look for “Cyber Monday” specific sales to ensure the holiday will still mean big bucks for retailers. “Consumers now turn their attention to Giving Tuesday, starting a flurry of giving, which increases average donation size by over 40% and builds strength until it peaks on New Year’s Eve”.

While the definition of what Cyber Monday actually means is getting stretched beyond recognition, with retailers, like Walmart, now extending it to Sunday night, the fact remains: it has, in the last few years, become the biggest shopping day of the year. But, as growing crowds show up to online stores during the long holiday weekend, out-of-stock rates tend to surge come Cyber Monday and numerous most affordable items are already gone, Gaffney said. Many consumers spent hours waiting in virtual lines and about 14 in every 100, or more than double the average for a normal day, logged on to find their chosen product out of stock.

If Black Friday week wasn’t enough for shoppers, round two is expected to rake in more than $3 billion dollars of revenue, this time it’s all online.

Several US retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy have commenced providing some of the best deals online several weeks ahead of Cyber Monday.

The trade organization also predicted a sales increase of 3.7 percent for the entire holiday season this year – slightly below the 4.1 percent increase notched in 2014. A survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) found that more people shopped online (103 million) than visited stores (102 million) on Black Friday. The company calculates $11 billion in total was spent between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, drove 1.5 percent of sales.

“There are certain hot products, hover boards seem to be a phenomenon, they’re selling out everywhere”, said Scot Wingo, chairman of ChannelAdvisor, which provides e-commerce services to retailers.