What is Cyber Monday? 5 things to know about post-Black Friday shopping frenzy

Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping extravaganza focused solely on technology products, taking place on the Monday after Black Friday.

While people are still recovering from the Black Friday shopping spree, Cyber Monday is bringing some of the best online shopping deals on electronics which one can hardly resist.

Cyber Monday is a day post Black Friday, dedicated solely to online shopping.

Cyber Monday is an online shopping festival recognised on the Monday after the worldwide Black Friday sale tradition. However, Cyber Monday is exclusively focused on online shopping deals for tech products and electronics.

This year, Cyber Monday falls on November 27. While it has primarily been focused on technology products, this year the shopping extravaganza also includes other items. With the wide range of discounts, it is on track to be the biggest single online shopping day in the United States.

What is Cyber Monday: Five points

• Cyber Monday was a phrase coined by Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation (NRF) in 2005 to boost the sales of online shopping platforms. This was done as Monday was a working day for the general population, and the internet connection at work was faster for most.
• Black Friday and Cyber Monday are different since the former began as a practice for offline retailers, aimed at boosting sales during the festive season. Cyber Monday, however, is solely focused on online purchasing.
• The main purpose of Cyber Monday is the make way for smaller online retailers to compete against big box stores and major global brands on Black Friday. Cyber Monday offers nearly 30-40 per cent discount on tech products and electronics not just in the US, but on many platforms across the globe.
• In India, Cyber Monday is mainly promoted by online platforms like Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal and MakeMyTrip. It was first observed in India in 2012 to boost online and electronic sales.
• Cyber Monday was mainly formed because online players like Amazon wanted to capitalise on Thanksgiving after seeing the boost in sales on Black Friday. This day of discounted purchases is solely for online platforms, and not for in-store retailers.