Are we ready for Cyber Monday?
The first Monday of December has, in recent years, become known as ‘Cyber Monday’ or ‘Mega Monday’. This is because many UK shoppers have just received their last wage packet before Christmas. Visa Europe has predicted that the spent on their cards alone will be around £320 million over 6.8 million online transactions. An increase of more than 20% on last year.This means today, December 3rd , will likely be the busiest online shopping day in history. The busiest shopping day on the high streets will still be the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of December.
Our online behaviour in recent years has become more crucial to us. The access to online shopping via mobiles and fast home broadband means that we have the luxury to be able to order in the evenings when we are at home. Next have capitalised on this by implementing a unique selling point this year – ‘Order before 9pm for next day delivery’. Amazon have also predicted that today will be their biggest day for sales so far with orders peaking at about 9.20pm.
Internet sales are now more important than ever before since high street sales have dropped in November. Online shopping has allowed us to avoid adverse weather conditions, particularly flooding at the moment and snow if it arrives as predicted. We have the luxury of being able to do our shopping a little bit later thanks to online shopping and extended opening hours. All major retailers have upped their game to reach online customers by things such as vouchers redeemable online as well as in store.
In terms of the smaller online retailer, have we ensured that we are ready for the Christmas peak? Does the website send the right message and prepare the consumer for what is happening with the business over Christmas? This might include a Christmas message, Christmas opening hours or delivery schedule. It is important to be ready, and why not use this landmark day with record numbers of people looking to shop online.
In the spirit of Christmas at Creare, I hope all of my colleagues are ready for the Christmas Party on December 21st for some very well deserved festive fun. After a year of very hard work, I hope you all enjoy it and see you all there! The pictures in today’s post are brought to you courtesy of Miss Hayley Francis and her festive desk.
