When Washingtonians return to work Monday, retailers are banking on the fact that they won’t actually be working — they’ll be shopping.
Although Black Friday has long been considered one of the most crucial days for the holiday shopping season, “Cyber Monday,” as the retail industry has dubbed it, has also become a major source of holiday revenue.
The number of people shopping online this year is expected to hit 61 million, an 18 percent increase over last year, according to a recent study from BIGresearch. More than half of those with Internet access at work plan to shop from their office. That number goes even higher among 25- to 34-year-olds, with 71.5 percent saying they plan to shop at work.
“Online retailers typically see huge surges in Web site traffic during traditional lunch hours,” said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, the organization that commissioned the study. “Shopping at work can be a great way for many consumers to complete holiday buying without having to worry about sneaky gift recipients looking over their shoulders.”
Locally, Washingtonians are turning to online shopping. The Washington region tied with Boston for the number one spot in an AOL survey that ranked holiday shoppers. Eighty-eight percent of internet users in the region plan to buy some gifts online this year.
But even though Cyber Monday is giving Black Friday a run for its money, stores aren’t shaking in their boots yet.
“Online shopping is certainly an issue,” said Lynn Blacker, marketing manager for Tysons Corner Center in McLean. “But the sensuality of shopping and touching the merchandise is really a part of holiday shopping. The sounds and smells of holiday shopping are not online – and neither is Santa.”
