The Real Difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday is all about retail stores while Cyber Monday is all about the online world? Actually, that’s not true. There is more to know about.

The choices between Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping may feel simple. Retailers tend to offer amazing deals & discounts on selected categories on both Black Friday & Cyber Monday, which simply means to strategize for them a bit earlier.

It is high time to know about the real differences between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and which will offer the very best and ideal deals.

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is taking place on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which means Friday 29th November, Black Friday is regarded (and exposed up by stats) as one of the busiest shopping days of the year, both online and in-store. It officially kicks off the Christmas holiday season and sees most retailers discounting products for its entire 24-hour period.

Because the day after Thanksgiving was typically a day off, it allowed Christmas shoppers to get a jump-start on their gift buying. Major retailers took sheer advantage of this opportunity by landing major sales, which incredibly helped them tip their annual sales numbers into “the black” (meaning out of “the red,” which is accounting turn of phrase for losing money). It certainly sounds reasonable though.

What is Cyber Monday?

It’s quite difficult to believe, but Cyber Monday was first observed in 2005. Back then, before it was natural to order anything and everything online, shoppers still needed encouragement. Online retailing stores initiated running their own major sales to compete with the outrageous juggler that was Black Friday.

Why “Cyber Monday”? Because, back in the old days; the internet was often referred to as “Cyberspace.”

Why Monday? Why not Saturday? Because it became a trend that people like to shop while they’re at their workplaces, using fast computers and high-speed internet connections.

What is the real difference between Black Friday & Cyber Monday?

Apart from the dates and days, the main real difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is that Black Friday deals can be found online and in retail stores, whereas Cyber Monday is only dedicated to online discounts.

There is a greater emphasis on Cyber Monday in the US and it’s arguably the country’s biggest shopping event of the year. It has somehow overtaken Black Friday in terms of popularity for both consumers and retailers. In 2018, US sales online sales somehow touched over $6bn on Black Friday and were just shy of $8bn on Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday Deals Week in the US extends the occasion throughout the rest of the following week.

Most retailers propose a continuation of their Black Friday deals and discounts into Cyber Monday, rarely dropping prices even further. It all depends somehow on how much you’re willing to risk the item selling out completely.

If you see a fantastic Black Friday deal that ticks all your boxes, we’d recommend going for it – products can sell out in a matter of minutes, and you can usually return the item if you see a better deal on Cyber Monday.

Black Friday or Cyber Monday: Which has real best deals?

It basically depends on what you’re looking for. The door-busters will typically exceed anything you’ll find online, whether on Friday or Monday because stores are willing to break even or even lose money on a product in order to get you in the door.

Modern shopaholics tend to prefer online shopping as the deals themselves might not be quite as good on Cyber Monday as on Black Friday. In 2018, Cyber Monday revenues hit $7.9 billion in the US, a new record and a solid increase over 2017. It somehow flanked Black Friday’s $6.2 billion revenue, which was also a record-breaker.

For items you’re likely to buy once a year or less, you’ll probably find better discounts on Black Friday. Anything you’d buy as a gift will likely see better discounts on Cyber Monday.

“Black Friday equals big-ticket items,” said Steve Koenig, Vice President of Research at the Consumer Technology Association. “With big deals on laptops, HDTVs, gaming consoles and much more during Black Friday week; many [people’s] purchases end up being for themselves or their own households.”

Amazon is always a good place to find Cyber Monday deals, even though it’s more focused on its own Prime Day sales these days.

If you’re in the US, Walmart and Best Buy go all over Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

In a Nutshell

If you want to make the most out of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019, it’s important to have an overview of what you want to buy, and where you want to buy it from.

The best way to do this is to make yourself a wishlist; it doesn’t have to be retailer-specific – just have an idea of what you’re looking to buy this November.