By 
For as long as I can remember, Black Friday has been THE shopping day of the season. Since the official holiday shopping period began, it was the only day I could save a lot of money on everything from socks to electronics. However, in recent years, Cyber Monday has quietly usurped the first position with more than 95 million Americans doing their shopping on this day vs. the 79 million Americans who shopped at retail stores on Black Friday in 2009.
Cyber Monday is the first Monday after Thanksgiving. It developed over the years because it was the first day people went back to work after Thanksgiving. Employees would use the company’s high-speed Internet to do their holiday shopping online. Retailers took notice of the increase in web traffic and began offering Cyber Monday deals that rivaled their Black Friday deals.
As well as being incredibly easy and convenient, you can score great deals with Cyber Monday specials offered by retailers. Here are some tips to make the most of this popular online shopping event.
Tips
* Do your homework – Since you’re shopping online, you won’t have the benefit of being able to see or touch the products. So look at the window and get the model numbers, sizes, colors, all the relevant information about the products you want to buy. This will help you make sure you ask for the right thing.
* Shop at places that offer free shipping – If you’re not careful, the cost of shipping can easily gobble up the money you save by shopping on Cyber Monday. Look for places that offer free shipping deals. This can save you another 20% of the cost of the product.
* Connect early to avoid digital congestion – Just like stores on Black Friday, websites will be flooded with internet visitors on Cyber Monday. This may affect the loading time of the site and slow down your purchases; especially if you are using a dial-up service. Get up earlier to avoid the rush.
* Shop early to get the good stuff – Another reason to buy early is that quantities may be limited. Many retail stores will have sales throughout the day. Because they don’t want to give away the store, they will often limit coupons and quantities to the first few hundred people who pay online. If you want to get the deal, be at your computer before everyone else.
* Online electronics store – Retailers know that most people who shop for Cyber Monday deals online are tech savvy. Therefore, they will usually offer some amazing deals on electronics. Instead of risking life and limb to get them on Black Friday, wait until Cyber Monday and enjoy delivery to your doorstep.
* Become a friend of RetailMeNot – This is a website that specializes in providing coupon codes for all major online retailers. To save extra money, you must have this site open so you can quickly search for Cyber Monday coupon codes and apply them easily.
* Shop on an all-in-one website – To save time and money, choose a one-stop-shop website that serves as a portal for multiple retail stores. The main benefit of using this type of website is that you can compare store prices without having to navigate from one site to another. The site I shop at has a powerful search engine that will help you find the best deals and potentially earn you cash for your purchases.
Amazon.com is a major player in the world of online shopping. Last year, it was the number one most visited retailer on Cyber Monday for the third year in a row. However, a fast-growing competitor, Kaching Kaching, is taking on the Internet retailer. The company contracts directly with manufacturers to get the best value on more than a million name-brand products, including HP, Garmin GPS, Canon and Cuisinart. Every day they have an amazing deal of the day where you can get hot items like Wii and Xbox below the market price.
There’s nothing like the thrill of getting the best deal. Be smart and you could save hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts this Cyber Monday.