What the heck is “Cyber Monday”?

Maybe I’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few years? I consider myself quite internet savvy, not to mention shopping savvy. I was greeted this morning with an email inbox full of “Cyber Monday” offers. I figured this was a phrase that some marketing company concocted this year to follow “Black Friday”. However, after a quick google search, I came to find out that this ploy was coined in 2005! Here is the Wikipedia definition:

The term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. ^[1] Whereas Black Friday is associated with traditional brick-and-mortar stores, “Cyber Monday” symbolizes a busy day for online retailers. The premise was that consumers would return to their offices after the Black Friday weekend, making purchases online that they were not able to make in stores. Although that idea has not survived the test of time, Cyber Monday has evolved into a significant marketing event, sponsored by the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org division, in which online retailers offer low prices and promotions.

It makes sense that it was created in 2005, when we all were shopping like crazy because we assumed our homes would all continue to appreciate at a rate of 49% a year!

Happy Cyber Shopping!