How Cyber Monday Has Changed Our Holiday Shopping Culture

When you think about culture changes, you begin to realize that the good ones become permanent while the not-so-good ones come and go as “fads.” No doubt you can think about what you have experienced in your life and recognized which changes became the new normal and which ones became unfortunate reminders that helped define a decade (you know, those things you remember and say to yourself, “what were we thinking?”). One of the major culture changes that has taken place in the past few years is the emergence of Cyber Monday. In just half a decade, it has made a significant impact on the world of holiday shopping. Online holiday shopping is on the rise and, like Black Friday, will not end up being just a fad that ceases to exist in just a few years’ time.Think about how holiday shopping has traditionally been done. For a very long time, people spread out their shopping during the month of December. Then came Black Friday, where many stores began offering sales the day after Thanksgiving in order to boost end-of-month profit numbers.More and more people began taking advantage of the sales and got most (if not all) of their holiday shopping either on Black Friday or the following weekend. It makes sense: if the stores are going to give their biggest sales on Black Friday, then it’s a good idea to do your shopping then. Since the popularity of Black Friday began, it has not gone away. But now there’s another addition to the holiday sales plan that is rising in popularity as well.Once online shopping became popular, stores that offered this feature took the hint and extended their holiday sales the following week online which began with what is now coined “Cyber Monday.” The deals are just as good online as in the store and you don’t have to fight throw traffic and crowds like you do on Black Friday.Online holiday shopping has continued to grow since Cyber Monday’s introduction and it shows no sign of stopping. Soon enough, it may even overtake Black Friday sales. One thing is for sure: Cyber Monday shows no signs of becoming a fad. Cyber Monday is here to stay.