Cyber Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales Kickoff the Holiday Shopping Season

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2011  /PRNewswire/ -- Online traffic to retailers peak on Thanksgiving, Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday according to Experian Hitwise. For the past few years, the overall peak has been Cyber Black Friday, a term coined by Talya Schaeffer, founder of electronic coupons website eCoupons.com.  Over a thousand retailers will be participating on Cyber Black Friday, more than the seven hundred listed on Shop.org's Cyber Monday website.

This year, brick and mortar retailers sparked a Black Friday backlash by opening at midnight. One big reason for the early store openings is the fierce competition online since e-commerce stores are open 24/7 and shoppers can easily compare prices and shop at multiple stores simultaneously.

According to Schaeffer, "Shopping online on Cyber Black Friday allows people to spend more time with their families on Thanksgiving, rather than standing in line during Thanksgiving dinner waiting to scramble for limited supply Black Friday doorbusters."

Meanwhile, for shoppers waiting until the very last minute, December 23rd is eGift Card Day. Eight in ten holiday shoppers plan to give gift cards this season and spend an average of $155.43 according to the NRF.  Hundreds of retailers are now offering electronic gift cards that can be personalized and sent via email, Facebook or cell phones. For more information, visit http://www.egiftcardday.com

Cyber Black Friday and Cyber Monday Online Shopping Tips:

1. Shop early for computers.  Because of massive flooding in Thailand, hard drives are in limited supply and have increased in price.  Expect the biggest discounts from Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Sony only at the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
2. Watch where you click. Don't open emails from unfamiliar stores or "friends."  Beware of ads from third parties with prices that are too good to be true.  Make sure to have the latest antivirus program and operating system updates.
3. Always use a credit card and not a debit card when shopping online.  Check recent activity and monthly statements to make sure charges are accurate.

Lenovo and eCoupons.com are sponsoring a ThinkPad Tablet giveaway on CyberBlackFriday.com

About eCoupons.com:

Founded in 2002, eCoupons.com is one of the oldest electronic coupon websites. eCoupons offers money saving coupons to thousands of stores worldwide.

SOURCE eCoupons.com