While the holidays are a time of year for family, food, and unforgettable memories, they are also one of the biggest times of year for commerce. The days following Thanksgiving, there are a number of ways for shoppers to save big just in time for Christmas and Hannukkah.
After Black Friday rolls around and the crowds finish up their early-morning department store stampedes, a more wide-scale, digital phenomenon takes place: Cyber Monday.
In recent years, Cyber Monday has seen a sharp increase in popularity. In our increasingly digital world, more and more individuals are looking to shop online now. In fact, by 2018, e-commerce as a whole will reach sales of about $500 billion.
And who can blame them? With free shipping, deep discounts, no lines, and access to everything you could want or need at your fingertips, going to the mall just seems like one big inconvenience.
The shift to e-commerce for holiday shopping has also resulted in an increased need for workers to perform packaging, sorting and delivering duties. According to azdailysun.com, Amazon is expecting a 25% hiring increase for workers this holiday season compared to last year.
As far as retail hires, the number of workers remains the same as last year, with a projected 755,000 jobs added nationwide this holiday season. Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a global outplacement consultancy, suspects that this number remains flat because many retailers hired help for the holidays earlier in the year. Additionally, the outplacement consultancy firm noted that there is a shift in what people are buying.
“There’s some indication that consumer spending is moving towards more experiential sorts of directions” — restaurant outings or trips, for instance, said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
Whether consumers plan on buying a bike trip in Bermuda or a new pair of sneakers, online shoppers are also at more risk than ever before. With increased demand for e-commerce, identity fraud and theft is on the rise, and it’s essential that consumers stay safe while shopping online this Cyber Monday.
The University of Arizona Police Department recommends shopping directly from the business identified, and make purchases from websites with secure connections. They also recommend keeping a close eye on your email, and warn shoppers not to give out their Social Security number, as legitimate online retailers will never ask for it.