Cyber Monday Deals And Tips
Cyber Monday is set to rival Black Friday for holiday sales. Although shoppers are already lining up outside Best Buy, others prefer the convenience of shopping from home. In addition to relieving the stress of holiday shopping, consumers often find better deals online.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season. The term refers to the point where a business begins to turn a profit. Many retailers report a noticeable increase in profits beginning the day after Thanksgiving.
In 2005, the Monday after Thanksgiving was recognized as Cyber Monday. As online shopping becomes more popular, consumers are purchasing gifts via the internet and having them shipped to their homes.
Many consumers will be doing their shopping with mobile devices. A number of mobile applications were developed to make online shopping even easier. Venture Beat recommends several applications to assist with holiday shopping.
TheFind is a “personalized shopping search engine.” Consumers can use the application to compare prices across the web based on their personal preferences. They app also allows consumers to scan bar codes. The software uses the code to find similar items online so shoppers can easily find the best deals.
Amazon Price Check is a similar application. Consumers can say the name of an item, take a photo, or scan a bar code. The app will search Amazon deals for similar items at lower prices.
The Gift It app allows consumers to store and edit their holiday shopping lists. After purchasing in item, the user simply checks the item off their list. The app keeps track of the user’s progress and provides a color scale to indicate percentage of completion.
Many retailers offer their own apps which often list special sales. In addition to the applications, consumers can add their favorite stores on Facebook and Twitter for sale alerts.
Cyber Monday deals are usually closely guarded until the sales begin. However, using historical data, Investor Place compiled a list of expected deals.
As Sony and Microsoft launch the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, the prices on their other video game consoles are expected to drop. PS3 and Xbox 360 bundles could be one of the hottest items available on Cyber Monday.
Retailers are also expected to slash prices on HDTVs, Blue-ray and DVD movies. Forecasters expect deep discounts on Android tablets, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, and the 2012 edition of the Google Nexus 7.
This year, Black Friday will take place on November 29 and Cyber Monday is on December 2.
[Image via Shutterstock]
