Cyber Monday: Its Growth And The Effect It Has On Sales And Shoppers

Cyber+Monday%3A+Its+Growth+And+The+Effect+It+Has+On+Sales+And+Shoppers

Gabbie Lopez, Staff Writer

Cyber Monday falls on November 27th this year, and many people are looking forward to getting some good holiday deals without even having to leave their couches. On Cyber Monday, many retailers, both large and small, release amazing deals that only are available online. If you’re thinking of doing your holiday shopping online, do it fast because things are going to be flying off of the digital shelves in minutes.

The amount of people who do online shopping daily has risen significantly in recent years with the increase in different electronic devices. A person can virtually buy anything, anytime, anywhere and have it delivered to their home without having to leave the house. The increased convenience of shopping online has led to a decrease in brick-and-mortar store shopping.

“Cyber Monday has had, and will continue to have a major impact on both digital and in store sales. For the past few years, we’ve seen significant increases in the amount of people who shop on Cyber Monday, which is great for [Target’s] digital sales but can also mean less physical traffic through our stores,” said Team Leader at Chanhassen Target, Steven O’Meara.

Target is a large corporation based out of Minnesota, and judging by sales of the previous years, it shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

“Our top selling departments online would be apparel, electronics, and toys” O’Meara said.

According to the Target Gift Guide, some of the biggest toys this year are the Star Wars Force Link BB-8 2-in-1 Mega Playset, FurReal Friends Chatty Charlie puppy, and a 25 inch tall Spider Man that lights up and speaks.

When asked about where he will be shopping this holiday season, O’Meara said, “I may be a bit biased here but I’ve only ever done my [holiday] shopping at Target since I do work for Target … I do have family in Chicago, and online shopping has made it easy for me to simply buy online and have it shipped to them!”

Students from Minnetonka High School were also asked if they preferred to do their holiday shopping in store or online. The results were close, proving the rise in popularity in online shopping.

Erinn Fiedler, ‘21, prefers to do her shopping online and her favorite places to shop are Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom. This holiday season, she is looking forward to receiving a new camera to continue working on her passion for photography.

Will Van Hercke, 20’, also said that he prefers to shop online because there is often a larger selection of things to choose from. His favorite place to shop depends on what he’s looking for, but generally he prefers Streicher’s, a store that specifically targets those interested in law enforcement.

Lastly, Sam Heiller, 18’, is looking forward to doing his shopping online and is hoping to get an electric guitar.

Whether you’ve risked getting caught in a large crowd of eager shoppers on Black Friday or you’re going to brave the risk of crashing websites today, best of luck to you.