Shoppers Plan For Cyber Monday

Online Sales Could Reach $28.8 Billion This holiday Season

By Lana Flowers

Posted: November 28, 2009 at 4:21 a.m.

Justin Wedgworth
Jennifer Hatfield of Rogers shops Friday at Pinnacle Hills Promenade in Rogers.

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ROGERS — People who didn’t want to fight long lines at stores on Black Friday can do their online shopping on Cyber Monday.

The line wound from the front registers, down the main center front aisle, around to housewares and shoes and grew toward the back of the store.

That was the scene at Kohl’s in Scottsdale Center in Rogers on Friday, or Black Friday to retailers. It’s so-called because it’s the day retailers usually become profitable for the year and shoppers throng to stores because most are off work for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Once workers return to offices or home computers after the holiday, they may seek online deals on Cyber Monday.

April Martindale of Cave Springs was at the Rogers Kohl’s looking for clothing for her daughters Friday, but her husband Blake stayed home.

“I think he’s planning to log on Monday to look for electronics and Wii games,” Martindale said, as her husband prefers to shop in a more sane atmosphere than found on Black Friday.

However, she said he has no particular Web sites in mind to search for the items he wants, but will use Google to find Cyber Monday specials and deals.

Shop.org coined the Cyber Monday term in 2005 after some retailers noticed a spike in online shopping after the Thanksgiving weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.

About 700 retailers offer online deals in one place at www.CyberMonday.com. Those deals include deals of the hour, to be announced Sunday.

About 53.5 percent of workers with Internet access, about 68.8 million people, will do online holiday shopping at work, according to a BIGresearch survey of 8,692 consumers and conducted Nov. 3-10. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.

Clarice Cox of Springdale was at Gordman’s at Pinnacle Hills Promenade on Friday, loading her vehicle with Christmas presents such as electronics, housewares and clothing.

However, Cox said she was not finished and would look online Monday for more items with special discounts, especially electronics and video games.

Jeri Dockery of Bentonville shopped at Dillard’s at Pinnacle Hills Promenade on Friday, searching for clothes for her teen daughter.

She’s not waiting to start her online shopping on Monday.

“I started looking online (Thursday) night,” because she got e-mail from various stores telling her about online specials.

“I like that better than getting things in the regular mail, because I have the information about the product or Web site right in my inbox where I can get to it,” Dockery said.

She’s not the only one to not wait for Cyber Monday to seek online deals.

Reston, Va.-based comScore reported online shoppers spent $8.21 billion from Nov. 1-22, a 2 percent increase from the $8.03 billion spent in the same period in 2008.

“The beginning of the online holiday shopping season has gotten off to a positive start, which is a nice improvement over the slightly negative growth rates we’ve experienced through much of 2009,” said Gian Fulgoni, comScore chairman, in a news release.

Online holiday spending, comScore predicts, will total $28.8 billion in November and December, a 3 percent increase from last year. That’s after a 3 percent decline in online spending in 2008 compared with 2007 and is well below the online spending growth rates of 20 percent or more in previous years, according to comScore.

“Online spending this holiday season will likely be tempered by the stark reality of 10 percent unemployment and less disposable income in many consumers’ wallets,” Fulgoni said.

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