Fourth Cyber Monday Probably Biggest: DoubleClick Performics
An early Thanksgiving and a Tuesday Christmas this year means there will be five so-called Cyber Mondays and the fourth will probably be the biggest, according to DoubleClick’s Performics division.
Coined by the National Retail Federation in 2005, the term Cyber Monday refers to the spike in online retails sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving as people get back to work. The term aimed to point out the difference between online-holiday-shopping behavior and offline, where the recognized beginning of the holiday season is so-called Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
Many believe Black Friday is the biggest offline-shopping day of the year. However, though it is one of the busiest days, the term actually refers to conventional wisdom that says the Friday after Thanksgiving is the day when retailers’ books go from in the red to black for the year.
In any case, online retail sales spike every Monday between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the Monday immediately following Turkey Day is never the biggest of the season, according to search-and-affiliate-marketing firm DoubleClick Performics.
“The peaks and valleys of consumer shopping behavior during the holidays are filled with misconception among marketers and the general business community,” said Stuart Larkins, vice president of search for DoubleClick Performics, in a statement. “It’s more than just one Monday; it’s a Cyber Monday phenomenon, and the Monday following Thanksgiving tends to pale in comparison to the others that follow.”
