Boost Your Online Sales With 'Cyber Monday' Promotions

Today is the official start of the nation's busiest shopping day -- Cyber Monday. If you own or manage a retail store that sells product online, you should leverage this massive consumer shopping day to boost your sales. The fact is that it's not too late jump on the Cyber Monday bandwagon. And with a little bit of work and the right promotional material, you can skyrocket your online sales. For some more pointers and tips on how to maximize your Cyber Monday sales, keep reading.

Cyber Monday: How Did It Start?

While millions of consumers purchase products, good and services on Cyber Monday, most people remain in the dark as to how this shopping holiday started. Cyber Monday is a relatively new holiday that began in 2005 when Scott Silverman, CEO of shop.org, made a press release saying that the Monday following Thanksgiving was one of the biggest shopping days of the year. The term "Cyber Monday" seemed appropriate for this consumer shopping holiday since it was based around online sales. Retailers, companies and news outlets followed suit and the term has stuck ever since.

Offer Sales and Promotions

If you're looking to boost your sales on Cyber Monday, you should offer steep discounts to drive customers. Remember, there are thousands of other companies dropping their prices during this 24-hour stretch for the sole purpose of attracting more customers. Even if your net profit is reduced, offering special sales and promotion will build a larger, stronger following that ultimately helps your business in the long run. Some of these first-time customers will visit your company's website in the future to make additional purchase at 'normal' price.

So, how much should you discount your product for on Cyber Monday? Some apparel store retailers are offering discounts of 30-40%, while Amazon.com is offering up to 50% on select toys. These are just a couple of examples, however. Retailers should create a customized sale that's tailored towards their goals and objectives.

Cyber Monday Tips For Retailers

• Offer steep, competitive discounts.
• Add a banner or header saying "Cyber Monday Sales."
• Send a newsletter out to inform customers about your Cyber Monday sale.
• Don't limit yourself to the 24-hour time frame; many companies run sales throughout the entire week.
• Snoop around on your competitors to see what they are offering.

These are just a few tips to help businesses maximize their sales on Cyber Monday. Above all else, though, make sure your customers know about your special deals and promotions.