Cyber Week: In Preview

Black FridayThanksgiving is approaching, and for many of us that means so are the feast preparations. However, even more of us look forward to this time of year to score stellar deals on high-end electronics, apparel and – not surprisingly – pretty much everything. So, with cyber week within reach, we thought we’d throw together some ideas to get in the spirit – as well as highlight some of the things that have already happened.

Brick-and-Mortar Teasers

For years now, the “Black Friday” allure has cornered headlines and simultaneously instigated shock and awe across the Internet as hungry consumers literally trample over each other for the best deals at their favorite stores. This most likely caused the need for Cyber Monday – what has now essentially become a week’s worth of online deals from your favorite web companies. With this track record, it’s no surprise stores have already begun teasing their Black Friday sales with Sunday paper inserts and online teaser scans.

This year, there seemed to be even more of an emphasis on previewing lineups for store offerings. Even Wal-Mart mistakenly posted their prices online – rather than just a leak of their teased savings. While the glitch didn’t directly have to do with the Black Friday savings, many customers almost made out with some seriously cheap merchandise.

The Black Friday previews are already floating around for most major stores, so shoppers can map out their savings route. A good way to keep up with this is to use a deals roundup site like dealsplus to stay up to date on everything.

Skip the Store: Stay Online

One of the best tips you’ll receive when scrambling for Thanksgiving-weekend savings is to, well, skip the weekend rush and just order online on Monday. While most of the savings don’t reach the price-drop margins you’ll find in stores on Black Friday, a lot of them come pretty close. Plus, you’ll avoid the crowds and be able to order your gifts from the comfort of your home. That’s a win-win if you ask me.

Think Outside the Box

Let’s get a little more creative with this. When you’re shopping this time of year, you’re always thinking “gifts, gifts, gifts.” That means electronics, clothing, jewelry etc. Nevertheless, you might find more success if you think outside the box. This is true of gift-giving, but you can also score some Cyber Week savings from some e-comm websites that might surprise – and we aren’t talking about Wal-Mart, Target, etc.

Try heading online during Cyber Monday to book a trip. Many travel websites and online travel agencies such as Expedia and Hotels.com offer their own Cyber Monday deals. Sure, they don’t sell high-end electronics or anything particularly tangible, but it makes sense that they would offer these deals; score better price on the trip you were already planning. Or, better yet, give away a trip as a gift. It’s a really unique idea.

It’s easy to get caught up in the big-name retail giants this time of year, but go a little deeper into specialty stores. Is your nephew begging to learn guitar? While Best Buy and Target do sell some suitable starter models, you’ll find a wider selection of Cyber Monday music deals at specialty stores like Guitar Center or Music & Arts. Also, try checking out the websites you’re already going to for other needs. GoDaddy serves up some great Cyber Monday deals on domain names and server packages.

The bottom line here is to think ahead, make a plan and try to step outside the usual retail scramble that has become an addiction for Americans. Once you’ve perused the Target and Macy’s deals, head to your local stores or the more offbeat websites. It might make these some even happier holidays than usual.
 
Featured image via visitminot

Kimberly Grimms is a futurist who spends most of her time monitoring social behavior in search for new consumer trends. She uses the information to create viral and useful content. She mostly addresses young professionals, educating them easy to digest content about business, online marketing, social media management, and even technology.

By Ali Lawrence

Alicia Lawrence is a content coordinator for SEO Company Go. She enjoys helping her clients boost conversions through business development. When not at work, you can find Alicia cooking up a storm in her apple-red kitchen or blogging about SEO strategies.