A Look into Cyber Monday’s Advertising

Haleigh Fobbe 

We’re halfway through November, the temperature has dropped to a chilling 40 degrees, and soon we’ll experience the first Illinois snowfall. This fall season quickly approached during the stressful, hectic year. As leaves flutter down to the ground, our trees are left naked and bare, and we know the holidays are near. 

Thanksgiving is next week, and you know what that means, right? Sales, sales, and more sales. The typical tradition of Black Friday shopping excites Americans all around the country. Even though you won’t witness malls scattered with crowds of eager shoppers this year, you’ll still get all the deals you’re looking forward to on Cyber Monday. 

Cyber Monday was coined as an official Shopping Holiday in 2005, making this year its 15th anniversary. The Retail Trade Association deemed this day as a holiday because there was a large increase in sales on the Monday following Black Friday. Cyber Monday’s spending has substantially grown over the years. From 2018 to 2019, spending surged from $7.9 billion to $9.4 billion. So, what is it that drives all of us to go online and purchase $7.9 billion worth of retail inventory over the span of one weekend? Well, 49% of people surveyed reported they partake in this shopping weekend because of the offered free shipping, and 36% of people surveyed said it’s because of the promotions and limited-time sales. These statistics make it very clear that it’s important for businesses to effectively advertise their once a year promotional deals.

Websites and mobile apps have become a very popular source for advertisements. It’s more common than ever to sell/buy items directly off of Facebook, Instagram and most recently, Snapchat. Email marketing is not a new form of marketing, but it’s still one of the most effective tools for online businesses. Each year, email marketing is a prime revenue driver for Cyber Monday. Direct emailing is an effective way to reach mass amounts of people. It’s also efficient because the promotion is blatantly stated in the email, and there’s usually a link within the email that will bring customers to a specific landing page. 

Businesses are relying heavily on mobile, desktop, and social media shopping during the 2020 Cyber Monday. Within the next week, we’ll see an increase in Cyber Monday and Black Friday deals. Keep an out for company advertisements and look at how they’re doing them differently this year. Treat yourself to a gift, or get some holiday shopping done this Cyber Monday. Utilize Cyber Monday to stay safe, and relax from every day stresses with some online shopping!