November in the United States has three “holiday” days: Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We already know what it’s about Thanksgiving. But what’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Are they just shopping days that flank a holiday weekend?
The things are not so simple. Here we explain.
When did Black Friday start?
Black Friday dates from the early 50’s, when retail stores started the Christmas season with great deals. The offers were so big that the annual profits of the stores went “black” (in the language of an accountant, which means that it is no longer in red, that is, they are no longer losing money).
Consumers appeared in hordes the day after Thanksgiving, as it was free and made it the perfect day to shop. That was what happened in the physical stores. And then the Internet came.
This year, Black Friday falls on November 24 , but offers can be found before that.
When did you start Cyber Monday?
Difficult to believe, but recent Cyber Monday and dates from 2005. Then, before it was natural to ask anything on the Internet, consumers needed motivation to make their purchases online, so digital stores began to generate their own offers to compete with physical stores.
Why call it Cyber Monday? Because in the old days, the Internet was referred to as cyberspace.
Why Monday and not Saturday? Because it turns out that people like to shop while in the office, using fast computers and fast connections. At the beginning of the online shopping era, Mondays were very lucrative for digital stores.
They are not the same thing?
Yes and no. Black Friday emerged from retailers, Cyber Monday is the answer of cyberspace. So, at the beginning, he went to the physical stores on Friday and the Internet on Monday.
Now, Black Friday has also become an online event. Although many stores still have exclusive offers in their physical facilities, the digital world has fully accepted Black Friday.
But bids in physical stores only happen on Black Friday, while Cyber Monday is still Internet power.
What day have the best deals?
It depends on what you are looking for. The exclusive offers of the stores are much better than those you will find online on Friday or Monday, because stores are willing, even, to lose money on a product as long as you enter the store.
That said, today’s consumers tend to prefer online shopping and although offers are not as good on Cyber Monday as on Black Friday, the former tends to generate more revenue. In 2017, Cyber Monday sales reached US $ 6,600 million in the United States, a new record that almost doubled the 2016 figure. It also exceeded Black Friday sales that reached US $5,000 million, which was also a record.
Exclusive offers from stores or doorbusters require that people be trained , hold out to the crowd and inventory is limited. Something like the Amazon Echo Dot horn (regular price of US $50) sells for US $30 in stores and US $35 online. The question is: is it worthwhile to hold the crowd for a saving of US $5?
What you should know about both days
Do not get carried away by the hype and saucer of these days of offers. Every day can be Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I see very good offers throughout the year. So the secret is to know what you want and have an open eye for when an offer that suits you comes out.
