The categories that dominate on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost always the same, according to McGrath. What should you buy on Black Friday vs Cyber Monday? “Since Cyber Monday occurs during a typical work week rather than a holiday weekend, employees may have to squeeze their shopping around their lunch hours or breaks,” said Carol Kaufman-Scarborough, a former professor of marketing at the Rutgers School of Business-Camden. And a particular appeal of Cyber Monday lies in its convenience, like the ability to add an item to your cart and check out in minutes while sitting on your couch.īlack Friday, on the other hand, has the holiday factor. “The only strategic reason to shop in stores is if something - like a gaming console - sells out online, but a nearby store has some in stock,” she said.īeyond that, retailers generally launch their online Black Friday deals months before Thanksgiving, giving online shoppers a jump-start. While Cyber Monday edges out Black Friday for the highest overall discounts online, according to Young, over the past few years, deals online and in-stores have been nearly identical during both shopping holidays, said RetailMeNot editor Kristin McGrath. So is one generally better than the other when it comes to deals?

It was also a way for retailers to prolong the shopping “demand and urgency,” with additional deals online just as people went back to work, according to Jessica Young, director of research data at Digital Commerce 360. Cyber Monday, coined by the National Retail Federation (NRF) in 2005, was created as a virtual “alternative to the madness” of large crowds and long lines.

Shopping Preparing for Black Friday 2022 Black Friday versus Cyber Monday: What’s the difference?īlack Friday originated decades ago as a way to lure shoppers - many of whom had the day after Thanksgiving off - into stores.

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