Online deals and specials are doing for Black Friday what the external boosters do for the Space Shuttle – they are pushing America’s biggest shopping day into orbit. And consumers are reaping the benefits of online specials in droves.
Black Friday has become one of the top highlights of the shopping year. Every Friday after the November Thanksgiving holiday, malls and major retailers throughout the country are inundated in the wee hours of the morning by shoppers eager to snap up the incredible door-crasher discounts that Black Friday stores use to kick off the holiday season.
Online shoppers do the early birds one better. They can hit the stores, from the comfort of their own homes, at 12am on Black Friday. Most major (and many smaller) retailers have built themselves an Internet presence, realizing the growing numbers of people who use computers for product research, price comparison, and easy purchasing. On Black Friday, these online stores open up their online special deals before any bricks-and-mortar doors are even open.
Online shopping on Black Friday is attractive, for several reasons. First of all, no crowds. Unless you love a good people-crush and waiting in line at unreasonably early hours, shopping from home is a definite plus. Then there’s comparison shopping. You can compare Black Friday deals from several different stores with the click of a mouse and hunt for the best deal. Research is a snap, too, with instant availability to reports and opinion sites to help guide you in choosing the merchandise that will outlast its warranty.
Retailers are a sharp bunch. They know the value of online shopping - in 2008, online sales on Black Friday alone topped $534 million. It pulls in customers who don’t like crowds and early mornings, or who can’t get to a store. Having an online outlet is very cost effective. The addition of online specials to the Black Friday rush boosts sales figures when they couldn’t fit another shopper into the actual store.
Online specials make the experience even more attractive for shoppers. Stores sometimes mark down their online door-crasher discounts even more than they do in the stores themselves. Some merchandise and deals are reserved exclusively for Internet stores. And the immediacy of the Internet is an ideal place to build buzz and excitement by offering last-minute discounts and online coupons for the savvy shopper who knows how and where to look for them.
Aids for the Black Friday online shopper abound. Comparison and consumer-help websites have sprung up that keep all these store websites, coupons, flyer ad scans, and online Black Friday promotions under one virtual roof, ready for you do maximize your time and find exactly the gift or purchase you need, at the best price on the Net. All your preliminary research, bargain hunting, and price comparisons are made as easy as possible, both by Black Friday sites and by the retailers themselves.
The downsides to doing your Black Friday shopping online are few, but to be noted. You’re not in the store, so you can’t take your purchase home that day; you have to wait for the mailman to get back from his holidays. Many retailers reserve a limited amount of stock for their online special promotions, and you will be trying to beat out every other online shopper before the stock runs out. And you’ll miss out on the hustle and buzz of hundreds of other shoppers flying through the doors before the sun comes up, all reaching for the same boxes of goodies at the same time. Or, maybe, you won’t miss that last one at all.
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