by Robin Fiedler

Many of the Wal*Mart Black Friday sale prices have leaked; the deals and discounts start at 5am on Black Friday, Nov. 27. Until then, we can start price-comparison research on our wish list since Wal*Mart, Target, and Best Buy will match competitors’ prices on the same item, if verified with a print ad.

CNNMoney reports, “Items with confirmed prices for the day-after-Thanksgiving sale are a Sanyo 50-inch plasma 720p HDTV for $598, a Magnavox Blu-ray player for $78, a Tom Tom GPS for $59, select children’s clothing for as low as $3, a $7 reversible fleece jacket for kids and adults, and the Barbie Power Wheels Ride-On, a toy Jeep, for $88.”

According to CNNMoney, the official full Wal*mart Black Friday ad will be released on Nov. 23, but there’s no need to wait. In the meantime, Wal*mart is offering deep discounts on toys in the week leading up to Black Friday. According to a Wal*mart press release, toy sales running from Saturday, Nov. 21 through Nov. 27 include:

• Li’l Luvables Studio - was $20, now $8 (60% savings)
• EZ Bake Oven - was $28, now $16 (40% savings)
• Little Dreams 22″ Doll - was $15, now $8 (47% savings)
• Baby Alive Newborn Doll - was $15, now $8 (47% savings)
• Nerf Capture the Flag - was $39, now $19 (51% savings)
• Air Hogs Laser Zero Gravity Remote-controlled Vehicle - was $34, now $19 (44% savings)
• Barbie Generation of Dreams Collectors Doll - was $49, now $25 (49% savings)
• Disney Princess Scooter - was $129, now $99 (23% savings)
• Nerf N-Strike Vulcan - was $42.97, now $25 (42% savings)

Looks like a “Black Friday” week of sales, not just a few hours on one day. If the toys listed are in stock, they are, indeed, some of the cheapest prices. A quick check on a couple of the toys shows a few are not even available at other retailers.

For gamers, the Hero series for PS2, PS3, Xbox, and Wii are hot this season. Any “Hero” purchase includes a $40 Wal*mart gift card. Band Hero has drum controllers, microphone and game. DJ Hero (new this year) has a turntable controller and game. Guitar Hero has guitar controller and game. Prices range from $89 to $199, including a $40 gift card, according to the same Wal*mart press release.

Emphasis is on one specific TV sale of a “26″ Vizio LCD HDTV (720p model,) — was $347, now $248.” It has to be a low price if Wal*mart placed a 2 per customer limit. Can prices go any lower?

Resources

Kavilanz, Parija. “Wal-mart Black Friday Ad: TVs Top Deal.” 17 Nov. 2009.

“Walmart Serves Up a Week of Early Savings with Prices Like The Day-After-Thanksgiving.” Wal*Mart 17 Nov. 2009.

COUPON TIME

Stop by our Wal-mart page for the latest coupons they’re offering–and our Black Friday Coupon page has deals galore.  Don’t forget to sign up for our Twitter feed for constant updates at www.twitter.com/ultimatecoupons.

One of the biggest predicted sellers this Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be electronics.  If tech gear is on your shopping list this year, you’ll want to read all about it: 

What to Buy on Black Friday

Retailers Wage Holiday Price War on DVDs

Office Depot:  Top 30 Smart Gifts

iPhone versus Droid

Black Friday Ads:  Best Buy

Best Black Friday Deals:  Let the Battles Begin

Black Friday Could be Big for Blu-Ray

Cyber Monday Laptop Deals

Cyber Monday Online Retailers:  Best Offers

Cyber Monday Sales Focus on PCs

Game Industry Hopes Cyber Monday Jump-Starts Sales

Some of the early deals include:

Save $7 off online purchases of $70 at Target.com

Save 50% off selected software at McAfee

And of course, these deals are updated all the time–so check our Black Friday Sales page before you shop.  If you want to shop a little later, try the Cyber Monday Coupons page! You can also sign up for our Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/ultimatecoupons for the very latest deals.

by Robin Fiedler

It’s Thursday, one week before Christmas Eve. You still have a few gifts to buy. No fear:  you have Free Shipping Day to complete your gift shopping online!

Free Shipping Day, which had its birth in 2008, adds to Cyber Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, Green Monday, Dec. 7, and the Monday after Green Monday, Dec. 14. Free Shipping Day is the last day for online shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. In 2009, it will be Dec. 17. We can expect all 4 days to be the busiest in terms of online sales.

“Luke Knowles is the Founder and CEO of FreeShipping.org, a year-round website dedicated to consumers searching for merchants who offer free shipping. In 2008, he predicted, “Instead of online shopping peaking on December 10, it could and should peak much later into December. Free Shipping Day has the potential to increase online sales by hundreds of millions of dollars every December.”

A few large retailers already offering free shipping are Sears, Kmart, Office Max, JCPenney, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Aeropostale, Apple, Macy’s, and Zappos, all offering free shipping on Dec. 17.

Most shoppers don’t buy online unless the order is shipped for free. comScore analyzed the 2008 numbers for online shopping: “The results show a clear correlation between consumers’ use of free shipping and both the dollars spent per order and the overall growth in online spending versus last year.”

In 2008, comScore calculated a drop in sales when free shipping is removed from the online shopping experience. comScore based its conclusion on last year “… when some retailers pulled back on free shipping deals during the most recent week (week ending December 14), average order values declined and the week experienced negative growth versus a year ago.”

Retailers are taking notice of consumer demand for free shipping. In a 2009 survey, the National Retail Federation reports, “As another sign of the times, free shipping offers will abound this holiday season. Four out of five online retailers (79.4%) will offer free shipping with conditions at some point during the holiday season, while more than half (57.4%) also plan to offer free shipping without conditions. More than one-third (35.7%) said their budgets for free shipping are higher than last year, and nearly as many (30.0%) said free shipping offers will start earlier than a year ago.”

Some retailers offer premium memberships which include free shipping on any order all year round, while many require a minimum $50 order for free shipping this holiday. Josh Smith of Wallet Pop says that 100,000 shoppers took advantage of Free Shipping Day 2008. He warns, however, “while encouraged to offer free shipping on any size purchase, retailers can choose to limit free shipping to purchases that are over a certain limit so pay attention to the details if you order.”

Free Shipping Day is the new kid on the block, but it will perhaps become the most pivotal, marking the last day to ship orders in time for Christmas. Find the retailers at our Free Shipping Guide and shop. The weekend before Christmas, you can sit back and relax as last minute gifts arrive in the mail, just in time to be placed under the tree on Christmas Eve.

Resources

“Free Shipping an Important Stimulus of E-Commerce Spending Again this Holiday Season.” comScore 17 Dec. 2008.

Grannis, Kathy. “Online Retailers to Emphasize Free Shipping, Social Media this Holiday Season.” National Retail Federation. 22 Oct. 2009.

Knowles, Luke. “The Free Shipping E-Book.” FreeShipping.org 5 Jan. 2009.

Smith, Josh. “Free Shipping Day is Back with More Retailers.” Walletpop 5 Nov. 2009.

COUPON TIME

You don’t have to wait until Free Shipping Day to get great deals!  Our Black Friday and Cyber Monday guides show you how to save before December even starts–and our Free Shipping Guide has deals that are already available.

by Doug Desjardins

The forecast for holiday retail sales was never great to begin with, but leading economic indicators are hinting that they may fall short of what were already meager expectations.

The Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumers released Nov. 12 predicts that unemployment in the U.S. will hit 10.75 percent by the end of the year, rising from the 10.2 percent mark reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in October.  The survey also reported a sharp drop in consumer sentiment, which fell to a reading of 66 in November from a 70.6 reading in October.  Economists had been expecting a reading of 71 for November.

“In real terms, we are probably not going to see an increase in retail sales over the holidays,” said Richard Curtin, director of the survey.

The survey also showed that only 10 percent of consumers reported an increase in income in 2009, the lowest figure since the survey started in 1946. And more than 36 percent of consumers reported that their income had declined this year. “This is really a concern for consumers that their financial situation is just heading south and there is really little hope that they can expect it to improve in the year ahead,” said Curtin.

That news came the same day that Wal-Mart reported sub-par results for its third quarter. The world’s largest retailer, one of the few to prosper during the recession, reported a 0.5 percent decline in same-store sales for the third quarter–despite an increase in customer traffic. The retailer, which had expected same-store sales to be flat or up 2 percent at best, is now expecting fourth-quarter sales to be flat or down 1 percent.  Wal-Mart reported a 2.4 percent increase in fourth-quarter sales last year.

“While the economy remains challenging to our customers and to Wal-Mart sales, I continue to be encouraged by both our traffic and our market share gains,” said Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke.

Even a positive report on October retail sales, usually a bellwether for the holidays, hints at a slow holiday season.  According to Retail Metrics, total retail sales rose 2.2 percent in October, marking the best overall performance since June 2008 when sales increased 1.9 percent.  But those comparisons were made against a terrible month, October 2008, and led research firm America’s Research Group to forecast a 2.9 percent decline in spending for the holiday season.

“I don’t see anything out there that says October was an exciting month even with retailers advertising 60 percent off,” said America’s Research Group founder Britt Beemer.

Though research firms differ on their forecast for the holidays, all seem to agree that sales will either decline or be relatively flat. The National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend 3.2 percent less than they did last year while a more optimistic NPD Group forecast projects sales to increase 0.5 to 1.5 percent.

Resources

Sales Rebound from Year’s Biggest Drop

Wal-Mart Predicts Flat Holiday Sales

Economy to Impact Two-Thirds of Families this Holiday Season

Holiday Retail Outlook

Retailers Post Best Monthly Sales in More than a Year

COUPON TIME

Retailers’ loss could be your gain; shop smart and use our Black Friday Sales and Cyber Monday Coupons pages as a guide!

by Doug Desjardins

Retailers aren’t expected to offer deep holiday discounts this year as they did in 2008, but DVDs seem to be an exception to that rule.

Wal-Mart got things going in early November when it offered an online price of $9.99 for pre-orders on new-release DVD titles like Star Trek and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, essentially cutting the standard price in half and offering free shipping.  That prompted competitors like Target and Amazon.com to match those prices in a move that presages even deeper discounts for December.

The price war is also extending into the high definition Blu-Ray format, where discs are usually priced around $30 for new releases. Wal-Mart has dropped the price on new titles like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and The Taking of Pelham 123 to $19.99, bringing the price point down to the standard DVD level.

“There’s something about that $20 price point in this business,” said Tom Adams, president of Adams Media Research.  “DVD sales at mass market explode after falling below that $20 barrier. That seems to be the magic price point.”

Price wars aren’t always welcomed by manufacturers, since they tend to have a negative impact on overall revenues and profit margins. But the major studios are welcoming this one in a year when DVD revenues have fallen more than 13% due to the lingering recession and a maturing market. “It’s a question of whether it’s worth it for the market,” said Adams. “And they (movie studios) are all in desperate need of a strong comeback. They’re willing to lose a buck or two on a DVD.”

The DVD price cuts coincide with falling prices on Blu-Ray players.  Up until this summer, even non-brand name players were priced above $200 but suppliers - tired of waiting for the market to come to them - have made a concerted push to attract new converts. In mid-November, Wal-Mart lowered the price of several players below $150, including a Magnavox player for $129. Best Buy has dropped the price of its Insignia player to $149 and Costco is selling a Philips player for $139 (with a manufacturer’s coupon for $60 off). Those prices are expected to fall below $100 when sales and promotions pick up after Thanksgiving.

As for standard DVD, the promotional price cuts on pre-orders may signal a more permanent reduction in price for 2010 as the format gradually gives way to Blu-Ray. According to the Digital Entertainment Group, Blu-Ray players and enabled devices like Playstation 3 are now in 11.7 million households and Best Buy executive vice president Mike Vitelli said he expects Blu Ray player sales to surge in 2010 and top 18 million units.

Resources

Blu Ray Popularity Quickens as Popularity of Packaged Media Continues to Drop

Best Buy: 18 Million Blu Ray Players Sold in 2010

DVD Prices Pushed Down by Wal-Mart

COUPON TIME

On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you’re sure to find deals on Blu-Ray disks, players and more.  Make sure you check out our Black Friday Deals and Cyber Monday Promotions pages for the best prices!

by Robin Fiedler

Kmart, Sears, Office Depot and Best Buy are all having holiday sweepstakes: giveaways of gift cards ranging from $100 to $1000 or daily electronics prizes. Kmart is awarding one $50,000 cash prize!

VIP shopping contests for Black Friday are being offered by Sears and Best Buy. Both are awarding 25 prizes:  gift cards and the right to shop Black Friday sales before everyone else. 

Sears Black Friday VIP Sweepstakes. Shoppers “can visit the Sears Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/sears) and register” for the “the opportunity to win a Sears $500 gift card.”  There’s a second drawing for VIP winners who will have a chance to shop at Sears on Nov. 25 at Black Friday prices with their own personal manager escort.

Best Buy Black Friday VIP Treatment. Entrants “are asked to share in 250 words or less what they are most excited about this Black Friday. They can submit their stories on www.bestbuyvipcontest.com. It runs from Nov. 2 to Nov. 20, with winners announced on Nov. 24, 2009.

Best Buy will award 25 shoppers with “a $1,000 Best Buy Gift Card and full VIP treatment including: a limousine ride to and from the designated Best Buy store, special seating outside for the winner and three special guests, and early admittance into the store at 4:30 a.m. Each winner will also receive an Insignia® Digital Camcorder to document their experience.”

For daily contests leading up to Christmas, look to Kmart and Office Depot. Both have daily instant wins. Kmart’s contest is for gift cards and one large cash prize. Office Depot is giving away 30 gifts in 30 days from computers, cameras, printers to a USB flash drive or pen set.

Kmart’s Mr. Blue Light’s Christmas Countdown. Kmart has the biggest prize, but the most complicated contest. You have to collect Christmas Codes from sales receipts, weekly ads, and emails, and then submit them online or by mail. It involves instant prizes and a $50,000 grand prize.

For the $50,000 cash prize, you must collect game pieces and fill in a week. “Every day you play, you’ll get a Collect & Win game piece. Fill up an entire week on the Countdown Calendar to win a $100 gift card from Kmart or Disney!” It starts Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 25.

Office Depot’s Gift of the Day Instant Win Game. Office Depot shoppers can register at www.top30SmartGifts.com from Nov. 22 to Dec. 24 for “the opportunity to win one of the Top 30 Smart Gifts by playing the ‘Gift of the Day Instant Win Game’ - five winners will be selected every day.” The 30 gifts range from electronics, such as printers, laptops, and digital camcorders, to a lower-end pen set, and the contest is pretty straightforward.

Hope you win something!

Resources

“Do You Want to Be a Black Friday VIP at Best Buy^®?” Best Buy 2 Nov. 2009.

“Mr. Bluelight’s Christmas Countdown.” Kmart.

“Office Depot Shows Holiday Shoppers How to Gift Smarter This Holiday Season.” Office Depot. 10 Nov. 2009.

“Sears Offers Facebook Fans an Opportunity to Shop Black Friday Deals Early” Sears. 17 Nov. 2009.

COUPON TIME

Besides these opportunities to win a shopping spree, you’re also a winner with the great Black Friday deals you can find here!

by Robin Fiedler

This holiday I’m going to Elf Myself; it’s a personalized free e-greeting.

Holiday greeting cards have always been part of my Christmas decorations. The cards I receive in the mail are ceremoniously taped around doorways. That’s hard to do if we’re sending e-cards instead. But no fear, we can send both, and many of us do.

The ritual of sending greetings started with the Ancient Chinese and Egyptians, then later in Europe, more specifically the Germans, in the 1400’s, according to the Greeting Card Association. “Louis Prang, a German immigrant who started a small lithographic business near Boston in 1856, is generally credited with the start of the greeting card industry in America.”

The Greeting Card Association estimates, “The cost of a typical counter card. . . is between $2 and $4.” The average household buys 30 cards a year and each individual receives about 20 cards a year. Women buy about 80% of greeting cards, but men spend more per card. Women buy in bulk; men purchase one card at a time as needed.

According to the Greeting Card Association, we send 7 billion cards every year for a total of 7.5 billion dollars in total card sales. Today, there are e-cards, which became popular in the 1990’s, and surprisingly have not usurped sending traditional greeting cards, but instead are now supplementing our card-giving. “Electronic greeting cards (e-cards) are popular with Americans of all ages because they are casual, fun and spontaneous. Worldwide, an estimated 500 million e-cards are sent each year.” Since we send both, we search for free Christmas e-cards, and we particularly like free musical e-cards.

One 2009 free holiday e-greeting MUST is to Elf Yourself. One of the coolest holiday e-cards for free is offered by Office Max and JibJab Media. Go to Elfyourself.com, and create your free personalized holiday e-card. It’s a short video that can be emailed, streamed, or downloaded. Office Max explains, “Users can then share their holiday eCards via email or using new capabilities that enable them to post their creations to Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites.” It’s all free, but saving a download of the video costs $5.

Up to five family and friends’ face photos can be easily uploaded, scaled and rotated. Then after marking the mouth area, pick a dance from “Disco Elves,” “Hip Hop Elves” to “Singing Elves” that perform a melody of holiday music. You can lift pictures from Facebook or upload from your computer. According to Office Max, Elf Yourself has had 284 million hits worldwide since it started in 2006.

For special family members, Office Max has customized Wall/Desk Calendars, starting at $14, a 2010 wall or desk calendar customized with family photos. I want one of those.

Other popular, and more importantly safe, e-card and e-greeting websites are Yahoo Greetings, which offers a free 2-week trial, and Hallmark.com, which has photo e-card basic formats for free, but an annual subscription costs only $10 for unlimited access. You can also send e-greeting cards through your favorite charity. Not only does the word of the charity spread, but most of the purchase price goes to the charity cause.

According to the National Retail Federation survey, most Americans plan to spend $26.77 on holiday greeting cards in 2009. I haven’t spent any of my $26.77 budget for Christmas cards yet, but my Elf Yourself is ready to go.

Resources

“About Greeting Cards.” Greeting Card Association. 11 Nov. 2009.

“‘ElfYourself’ Returns With Brand New Videos Including ‘Singing’ and ‘Break Dancing’ Elves.” Office Max. 10 Nov. 2009.

Grannis, Kathy. “Economy to Impact Two-Thirds of Families this Holiday Season, According to NRF Survey.” The National Retail Federation. 20 Oct. 2009.

COUPON TIME

After you get ahead on your greeting cards, get ahead on your holiday shopping by checking out all the Black Friday Promotions!

If Black Friday shopping isn’t your bag, there’s always Cyber Monday!  That’s the Monday following Thanksgiving, when work productivity suffers because people are searching for online bargains rather than working.

We’ve made that easier for our readers:  we find the bargains for you!  Just visit our Cyber Monday Sale page for the latest.

We also have lots of articles letting you know what’s on sale and what merchants expect to move on Cyber Monday!  Here’s a sample:

Cyber Monday Origins

Cyber Monday More Promotional!

Cyber Monday Sales Focus on PCs

Cyber Monday Laptop Deals

Cyber Monday Online Retailers:  Best Offers

Cyber Monday and E-Commerce

Cyber Monday Sales Fueled by Mysterious Back-to-Work Disorder

Online Retailers Hope for Rebound

Game Industry Hopes Cyber Monday Jump-Starts Sales

Our Cyber Monday Deals page will be continually updated with the latest bargains, so check it often!

by Robin Fiedler

Gift cards have become the most popular gift requested and gift purchased. From a $10 gift card to a $500 gift card, it can please both sides of the gift-giving ritual. The economy is still hurting, but will that slow sales of retail gift cards this year?

Deloitte’s Annual Holiday Survey for 2009 indicates “Gift cards hold their first-place position for the sixth year in a row, with 64 percent of consumers planning to buy them as presents. While the number of gift cards they plan to purchase remains nearly flat (5.4 from 5.3 last year), consumers’ planned spending per card is $35, which is up from $28 last year and nearly back to the pre-recession average of $36 in 2007.” While Deloitte’s survey shows that 64% plan to buy gift cards, in the National Retail Federation’s survey, “55.2 percent of adults said they would like to receive gift cards this holiday season.” Both surveys show a meeting of the minds that solves gift dilemmas.

Nevertheless, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) found, “The most striking survey findings, however, concerned consumer misunderstanding of general purpose gift cards.” For all those gift cards received, about 10% are never used. That’s billions of dollars in gift card cash that consumers basically throw away, lose, or forget about.

Follow the best gift-card practices to avoid the pitfalls.

Fees - Simply put, don’t purchase gift cards that charge fees. The CFA admits that the majority of the $50 billion spent on gift cards “represent purchase of store cards with no fees or expiration date. But nearly $4 billion  . . . usually cost $4 to $7 to purchase and sometimes are subject to monthly fees as high as $4.95 as early as six months after purchase.”

Expiration Dates - should be reasonable. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that you “Ask about expiration dates and fees when you’re buying a card.”  Many expire within one year; some expire within 5 years.

Store-Branded Retail Cards - “Retail gift cards may have. . . a fee for inactivity that sometimes is called a ‘dormancy fee,’” according to the FTC, but the National Retail Federation (NRF) points out that “Most national retailers do not have fees or expiration dates. . .”

Bank Gift Cards/Credit Gift Cards - “carry the logo of a payment card network like VISA or MasterCard, and can be used at any location accepting cards from that network. There are more likely to be fees for activation, maintenance, or transactions on bank gift cards than on retail gift cards,” according to the FTC. The NRF adds, “gift cards issued by banks, malls, and credit card companies are more likely to add expiration dates and tack on annoying activation, maintenance, inactivity and transaction fees. Some bank-issued gift cards even charge a fee for simply checking the balance.” CFA reports, “Recently, American Express dropped monthly charges on all its general purpose gift cards.”

Bankruptcy - Companies that file for bankruptcy usually renege on gift cards, rendering them worthless. The FTC suggests that “A competitor may also accept the card. . .[or] Even if a company currently is not redeeming gift cards, check with them periodically; they may resume doing so later.”

Lost/Stolen Cards - FTC claims, “You may be out the entire amount on the card. Some issuers don’t replace the cards, but others do if you pay a fee.” NRF explains, “Some retailers are able to reissue a lost gift card if consumers have kept the original purchase receipt.” Registering the card online allows gift card recipients “to check their balance online and receive a new card if they lose or misplace the original one.”

One of the reasons for gift-card system rules, according to the NRF, is that retailers must turn unredeemed gift card revenues over to the state as “abandoned property.” The plus side for the consumer:  ”Because retailers are not allowed to count a gift card until it is redeemed, companies will be enticing consumers to redeem their gift cards by holding special sales after Christmas and stocking shelves with new merchandise in January to give shoppers more of a selection.”

CFA’s “key recommendation to gift card recipients is to use all the card’s value as soon as possible, within six months if possible.” The weekend after Christmas, I plan on spending all my gift cards on presents for me. It’s my New Year’s Resolution not to throw away money.

Resources

“Buying, Giving, and Using Gift Cards: FTC Consumer Alert.” Federal Trade Commission. Nov. 2008. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt010.shtm

Gillis, Jack. “Survey Shows Consumers Misunderstand Gift Cards.” Consumer Federation of America. 26 Oct. 2009. http://www.consumerfed.org/elements/www.consumerfed.org/file/gift%20card%20pr%2010-26-09.pdf

“Holiday Cheer Makes a Comeback.” Deloitte. 28 Oct. 2009. http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Industries/Retail-Consumer-Business/press-release/0fc066ff1a894210VgnVCM200000bb42f00aRCRD.htm

“Making the Most Out of Gift Cards This Holiday Season.” National Retail Federation. 2009.  http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=817

COUPON TIME

Showing you how to find the best deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping is what we’re all about here at Ultimate Coupons!

by Robin Fiedler

Two new trends predicted for Black Friday 2009 are shopping online and more shoppers.

Cyber Friday. Is it another new catchy phrase for another peak shopping day? Not exactly. It’s the new catch phrase for Black Friday. After online shopping research indicated shopping online on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2008 increased, predictions are that online shopping will increase on those two shopping days in 2009 as well since most retailers are upping their online marketing strategies. 

“The Yahoo! Network analyzed online advertising effectiveness on Black Friday and Cyber Monday of 2008, and compared it to data in the preceding four weeks of November. The report showed that not only is Cyber Monday a top online shopping day, but that the traditional, offline, Black Friday also proved to be a significant day for online sales conversions.”

So while consumers browse and surf the net throughout November looking for deals, they buy on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. “When compared with the average day in November, Black Friday saw an increase in conversions of 147% and Cyber Monday was 73% higher. The Yahoo! Network believes that consumers were doing product selection throughout the month, in preparation for converting at the highest rates on those days, which mimics offline consumer shopping patterns.”

Nathania Johnson on Search Engine Watch blogs, “While the economy has consumers as uncertain as ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if last year’s Walmart deaths have people bumping those conversion rates even more this year. Make sure you’ve got great deals and free shipping. You might just save a life.”

More Shoppers. An International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) survey shows that more consumers plan to start their holiday shopping on Black Friday. “Consumers reported that shopping on Black Friday-the Friday (November 27) after Thanksgiving Day-is likely to be more important this season as 16 percent of respondents expect to begin their holiday gift shopping on that day,” compared with only 10 percent in 2007 and 2008 and the 13 percent high for 2006.

Consumers search for deals and discounts and retailers marketing strategies on Black Friday seem to be merging.”Bargain hunting will continue to be an important element of the consumers’ holiday shopping strategy,” noted Michael P. Niemira, ICSC’s director of research and chief economist. That strategy may be fueled by the news that many retailers will have low inventories, so consumers feel they have to shop on Black Friday before shelves become empty.

The ICSC survey also notes that shoppers plan to spend less on gift cards in 2009 than in 2008, and more on actual gifts. The planned budget is $543 on gifts and $133 on gift cards. Shoppers’ budget numbers imply that although there may be more shoppers out ‘there’ on Black Friday, they may not be spending as much. The gap in between peak shopping days also seems to be a question mark. Will consumers be ’shopping’ all season, but only ‘buying’ on advertised deep discount days?

Resources

Johnson, Nathania. “Will Black Friday Become Cyber Friday?” Search Engine Watch 19 Oct. 2009.

“U.S. Consumers Plan to Spend about $543 Each This Holiday Season, Survey Says.” ICSC 4 Nov. 2009.

“Yahoo! Network Insights Black Friday/Cyber Monday Performance Report.” Yahoo!

COUPON TIME

Our Black Friday and Cyber Monday Coupon pages have all the latest deals for your online shopping!