Black Friday is still the most awaited day in the retail calendar, but businesses have been pushing to include more targeted marketing efforts for other days of the holiday season. Enter Cyber Monday, a day characterized by a frenzy of online shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving Weekend.
Why Cyber Monday Matters in Retail
Last year, Mashable reported that online sales on Cyber Monday increased by 20% compared to 2012. In fact, the revenue generated on this day has steadily increased since the retail industry started using the term in 2005.
On Cyber Monday, people emerge from their Thanksgiving festivities on the lookout for post-Black Friday deals. But instead of joining the holiday crush at retail stores, these consumers prefer to go online.
Mobile Devices Driving Sales
The even bigger story behind the Cyber Monday bump is the strength of sales generated from mobile devices.
According to The Next Web, 18.3% of Cyber Monday's online earning came from mobile devices, accounting for $419 million in sales via smartphones and tablets. With this kind of data, retailers simply cannot ignore the market potential of phone-toting shoppers. Building an ecommerce site that is both aesthetically pleasing and completely functional while viewed on mobile devices is now a necessity.
Web stores powered by Connected Business can use a wide variety of responsive web skins supported by a powerful infrastructure that is fully integrated into all of your selling channels. These proprietary designs look great on desktops, tablets and smartphones, and they can be further customized to fit your business needs.
Local Businesses Join the Fray
Small businesses all over the US are also seeing the value of having an online process on Cyber Monday. Locally based companies in Augusta, Saratoga, Upstate New York, and other areas reported a notable uptick in sales. A company in Arkansas even claims that they made five times their average sales on Cyber Monday last year.
However, the increase in potential shoppers poses problems for retailers, including their website's capacity to handle a large volume of orders at a given time.
Fully integrated ecommerce solutions allow big and small businesses to process orders efficiently even during big retail events. An integrated web store reflects your inventory status in real time, so you are not in danger of overselling a certain item, a problem that can lead to shipping delays and customer dissatisfaction.
Connected Business also enables the warehouse and shipping sectors of your retail processes to keep up with online demand. The inventory and shipping modules automate the entire process, driving down costs and improving your company's bottom line.
With last year's stellar showing on Cyber Monday, everyone is keeping an eye on December 1, 2014. In order to ride the waves of these marketing blitzes, businesses are looking towards powerful ecommerce technologies to help them achieve another record-breaking day in sales.
Find out how Connected Sale and Connected Business can help maximize your holiday profits today.