Online deals not limited to one day

By Leia Mendoza

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

If you're the kind of shopper who prefers to log on, click and buy rather than deal with crowds and winding checkout lines, you won't have to wait until Cyber Monday to get the good buys.
That's because many online merchants started their deals on Thanksgiving, some earlier, and some are running them past Cyber Monday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
According to a Shop.org survey that provides research for the National Retail Federation, more than 92 percent of online merchants surveyed will offer special promotions at some point during the Thanksgiving weekend. More than 78 percent plan to have special promotions on Cyber Monday.
"As a direct result of increased demand, online retailers will offer hard-to-pass-up deals to shoppers all season long — before, on and after Cyber Monday," said Vicki Cantrell, executive director of Shop.org. "In addition to many free shipping promotions, there will be plenty of extra ways to save on Cyber Monday, including percentages off entire sites and online-only sales."

Cabela's, the Sidney, Neb.-based outfitter, started its "online-only" deals on Thanksgiving for its five-day online holiday sale. Each day leading up to Cyber Monday, hundreds of different products are being featured as hot buys, said John Castillo, a company spokesman. But the best deals will be on Monday, "the grand finale," he said.
Castillo said offering deals online for more days than just Cyber Monday "gives shoppers more options" and accommodates shoppers who wanted to start earlier. Cabela's retail locations weren't open on Thanksgiving. They opened at 5 a.m. for Black Friday.

Like many online retailers, Cabelas.com is offering free shipping through Tuesday.
The retail federation said that more than nine in 10 retailers plan to offer free shipping for online orders at some time this season. For Cyber Monday, the retail federation said, most online retailers are planning to offer coupons or percent-off deals, and about 28 percent will have limited-time promotions.
Castillo said offering online promotions are a way to get consumers to the site and offer them deals "they can't get in stores." He said online sales are an important component to the company's success.
Last year, Cabela's, which has stores in 23 states and a strong catalog and online presence, recorded about $2.66 billion in total sales. More than half of the company's $1 billion in catalog and Internet revenue was from online sales, compared with about $1.4 billion at retail stores, the company has reported.
And as more shoppers go online, they are spending more online, too.
So far this month, nearly $9.7 billion has been spent online, according to comScore, an online research firm. That's a 14 increase over last year.

So what attracts the shoppers? According to the retail federation, 43 percent of shoppers surveyed said 24-hour convenience, and 36 percent said free shipping. Consumers also said shopping online makes comparing prices easier and avoids the crowds in the stores.