How time flies! November is here once more, and Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. It’s the season for some quality times, vocations, family reunions, and, of course, SHOPPING.
Regarded by many as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season since 1952, Black Friday has become the biggest shopping festival for many years. You will have seen the same picture on TV over and over at this time of the year: a large crowd of customers flooding into a shopping mall the moment the door was opened. This is particularly true in the United States.
And then just a few days later, you will see another big shopping spree -- Cyber Monday. Some of you may find it unfamiliar, but it’s gaining momentum and has become the shopping time to rival Black Friday. There are numerous sales reports about these two days and people are arguing which is the better day to shop.
If you still think the answer is Black Friday, read on, you may be surprised.
1. Black Friday was the winner for so long.
Black Friday, which originally referred to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the US, has marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season since 1952. Typically, the biggest shopping deals of the year would usually fall on Black Friday.
Back then everything was about brick-and-mortar. If you wanted to get the best Black Friday deal and grab what you wanted before it was out of stock, you had to line up early at the shopping mall, wait for the rolling shutters to open and then scrabble for the deals you wanted. The competition was tough, and sometimes people would get hurt, all in the name of a big discount?
There are big and small sales going on all year round, but none of them surpass the size of the promotions around Black Friday.
You will have noticed that this was in the past tense. So, what about now, is it still the biggest sales day?
2. Online shopping gradually changes the game.
Cyber Monday was first introduced in 2005 as e-commerce was booming. The technology enables consumers to buy goods from all over the world, with just a few clicks on their computers. It provides so much convenience that more and more people are attracted to online.
As retailers continue to experience shrinking customer numbers visiting their traditional, brick-and-mortar stores, so they are turning to the digital world as the new battlefield. Typically, they will either open their own shopping channel(s) on their own website or they start selling their products on already established e-commerce platforms like Amazon.
Now, because many people prefer to spend quality time with their families at weekends and holidays, so they prefer to shop on a weekday. This has naturally moved the start of the sales to Monday instead of Saturday or Sunday, hence Cyber Monday.
Online shopping provides a great opportunity for small retailers to compete with the big companies out there because they no longer are limited to a few stores. In the digital world, everyone has a fighting chance.
So, tradition has now given us Cyber Monday for online shopping only whilst Black Friday has stayed as both brick-and-mortar and online sales.
So, which day witnesses the biggest online sales?
3. Online sales on Cyber Monday outraces that on Black Friday.
Sales for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday have continued to grow year-on-year. According to Adobe Analytics, online sales for Black Friday 2018 hit 23 percent from last year, up to $6.2 billion; while online revenues for Cyber Monday hit a record-high of $7.9 billion, an increase of 19.3% compared to 2017’s statistics. Clearly Cyber Monday won, although the gap was relatively small.
OK. Does this mean that Cyber Monday is the better day to shop?
Well, it’s important to remember that the statistics were for overall sales. Even if it shows Cyber Money was the day that people spent more money, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will always save more on Cyber Money compared to Black Friday if you shop online.
Money is not the only thing to consider. Maybe you can get a better deal if you purchase that new TV from a local store rather than online, but are you willing to brave the weather not to mention the crowds, the waiting in lines for hours only to find it has sold out! The true, “best deals” are not found just by how much money you save. It’s also about buying the right thing at the best price and in the most convenient way. Of course, if you know you will save lots by shopping in-store and you don’t mind waiting for any number of hours, then go ahead and get down to that shop and brace yourself.
That said, there are some rules you can follow to get the best deal possible, whether it is Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
4. The best time and best place to shop.
Shop on Black Friday if you want to visit a store
Many chains have promotional sales both online and at their brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday, however, that is not the case on Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is basically for online shopping only. So, if you enjoy visiting a store, pushing a shopping cart through the crowds and feeling the joy of the holiday season, visit a store on Black Friday. Don’t wait till Monday because you might find that all the hot deals have gone.
Shop on Cyber Monday for gadgets
The first group to embrace online shopping were the techies. It’s no wonder that the digital world is the biggest selling field for tech gadgets and smart home products. Those online shoppers are more likely to be interested in unconventional or experimental things, like new consumer electronic gadgets. So, you will find more types of electronics online, and that means a bigger chance to get a big discount on the product you want.
Shop on Black Friday for large appliances
Based on the findings from Adobe Analytics, the best deals for appliances such as televisions and computers were on Black Friday 2018. Prices were down by about 17 percent and if nothing goes wrong, that will probably be the case in 2019. Large appliances are more applicable to the whole family. And family is always about tradition, so shopping on Black Friday is also a tradition.
Don’t shop in the golden hours
Undoubtedly everyone loves simplicity and convenience. That’s why more and more customers are taking to the digital world. The problem is, as online shopping continues to soar, websites can experience extreme loads causing them to crash. If you plan to do shopping online this year, avoid shopping in the final hours of the sale and get prepared. Write down your shopping list, collect any corresponding links, add items to cart and pay once you decide, before the screen shows “out of stock”, or “hang on a sec”.
5. PITAKA Deals Up to 30%
This year PITAKA offers some very good deals. All products enjoy a minimum of 20% discount and some products are up to 30% off. If you are looking for gifts for your friends, PITAKA is the perfect place to go.
For someone who drives, the MagEZ Case + In-Car Wireless Charging KIT should not be missed. It provides ease, convenience and safety for any journey.
If you want to give your phone a new look and add some protection, PITAKA has 3 versions of phone case for different needs. In addition, there are all kinds of wireless chargers. Air Essential is the basic but important wireless charger for your desktop. Put it on your office desk, drop your phone and charge. When you need power during the journey, the MagEZ Juice is the survival power bank to charge your phone up to 30%.
And there are more. Hurry up, this promo begins on Nov.27 and only lasts for a few days.
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