Cyber Monday has come and gone in a flash with some Australians still scratching their heads wondering, “What is Cyber Monday?” and many more wondering whether it was all just hype. A lot of Australian businesses also had Cyber Monday in the back of their minds but weren’t ready, or confident enough with its popularity in Australia, to take advantage of it.

Here’s the run-down on Cyber Monday that’s just as quick as its sales were!

Cyber Origins

The origins of Cyber Monday stem from the Black Friday Sales. In the USA, Black Friday is the biggest pre-Christmas retail shopping day which falls the day after Thanksgiving. You may have seen snippets in the news of manic American shoppers bursting into apartment stores like they’re partaking in Spain’s “running of the bulls” and fighting over the last remaining products on the shelf at 50% off.

Cyber Monday is the online version of Black Friday. For many eCommerce businesses and those with online stores, it’s an opportunity to have their own Black Friday. Online sales also mean little chance of getting crushed – so I’m a fan!

“Cyber Monday is the online version of Black Friday. For many eCommerce businesses and those with online stores, it’s an opportunity to have their own Black Friday.”

Cyber Momentum

Both Cyber Monday and Black Friday have been gaining momentum in Australia and in other countries around the world. Big department stores have been getting on board with Black Friday sales and online retailers and eCommerce businesses embracing Cyber Monday. We had a great response from our JCurve Solutions Cyber Monday campaign and big eCommerce stores such as Kogan and The Iconic ran campaigns for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The divide between Black Friday and Cyber Monday seems to be narrowing – particularly for businesses in the online space. There’s a noticeable trend of online sales beginning on Friday and extending right through to the Monday. In years to come, will it end up being a four-day frenzy of online shopping? The magic eight-ball I purchased for over half-price in the Cyber Monday sales is telling me, “All signs point to yes”.

“The divide between Black Friday and Cyber Monday seems to be narrowing… There’s a noticeable trend of online sales beginning on Friday and extending right through to the Monday.”

A Case of Cyber Hype?

Australians tend to be a sceptical bunch with many questioning whether the Cyber Monday sales offer real savings. From my perspective, it was a chance to offer a non-repeatable deal that had not been done before. I also noticed other businesses coming up with fast, unique offers rather than predictable, repeatable ones. There were several deals I saw on Harvey Norman and Microsoft online stores which were only there for the Cyber Monday flash, then gone again, back to normal pricing.

Finding the sales is also becoming easier with sites like finder.com.au listing out some of the biggest stores’ discounts. For customers, this means getting across the sales a lot easier and seeing that it’s not just hype.

Cyber Monday… on a Tuesday?

Some Australian businesses choose to run their Cyber Monday campaign on following day, Tuesday, as it’s technically still Monday in the USA. There could be some merit to this when it comes to email marketing that promotes the campaign. Email open rates are generally higher on a Tuesday than a Monday (depending on the audience, of course). It will be interesting to see how Australian companies either adopt or adapt the USA timing in future years. Personally, I decided that being an Aussie company, we’d run our JCurve Solutions Cyber Monday campaign on Aussie time. And I’m glad we did, given the positive response.

“It will be interesting to see how Australian companies either adopt or adapt the USA timing in future years.”

Here to Stay?

Whether or not you picked up a deal in the Cyber Monday sales this year, it’s certainly a concept that’s gaining momentum in Australia. If you’re a small or growing Australian business with an online presence, you might want to start marking your calendar for next year. With the imminent arrival of Amazon, small businesses are looking to grow their sales opportunities even further. And an opportunity like Cyber Monday that creates more exposure for online businesses and provides awesome deals for customers is more than just hype. It’s win-win situation, which the magic eight ball also says, is here to stay.

What are your ideas on Cyber Monday for the Australian market? Did your company run its own online campaign? If so, was it successful? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.