Cyber Monday shopping to rise 11 pct

Over 106 million Americans plan to shop on Cyber Monday, the ceremonial kickoff to the online holiday shopping season, up significantly from the estimated 96.5 million who shopped last year, a survey showed.

A record number of Americas will hit retailers’ websites this Cyber Monday to take advantage of one-day only deals, percentages off websites, and free shipping offers, the survey conducted for Shop.org by BIGresearch showed.

During the season, shoppers flood websites expecting robust promotions and many retailers highlight some of their most compelling holiday offers.

“Hundreds of retailers have already announced special Cyber Monday promotions ranging from free shipping offers to flash sales lasting only an hour or two. When it comes to Cyber Monday deals, shoppers know they can’t lose this year,” said Joan Broughton, Interim Executive Director of Shop.org.

The survey showed that number of shoppers who will use Smartphones for Cyber Monday shopping doubled the estimated 4 million who shopped that way last year. Ninety-six million people will shop from their home computer.

When deciding which Cyber Monday deals to take advantage of, many shoppers will use their mobile device to comparison shop, find the best prices, or read customer reviews to help them make their final purchase,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch.

Around 12 percent will shop on Cyber Monday from work this year, slightly fewer than 13.5 percent last year, the survey showed. A Shop.org survey released last week estimated that 70 million Americans would shop from work at some point during the holiday season.

According to the survey, 44.2 percent of Cyber Monday shoppers plan to hit the web early in the morning, with 37.5 percent planning to shop in the late morning. Over one-fourth of Cyber Monday shoppers will shop in the early evening.