It's Cyber Monday. And those who are trying to get your business are willing to make it worth your while to log on and make a purchase or two.
Take shipping, for example. Many sites are expected to eat the shipping costs on most orders, wiping out the one of the factors that might make some buyers squeamish about shopping online. But will it be enough to lure shoppers out of their recession-induced shell? Perhaps not.
The Internet research company ComScore reports that online spending was up a modest 2 percent for Thanksgiving Day and Friday, compared with the numbers from last year.
Part of the premise of Cyber Monday is that people will shop online at work on the Monday after Thanksgiving because they don't have fast computer links at home. But with a growing number of home users using broadband links, some who might be shopping online may have already done so over the four-day holiday period.
From NBC News Channel:
Cyber Monday kicks off the online retail season and sites like cybermonday.com do a great job of aggregating the latest online bargains from more than 500 merchants.
It even highlights the best hourly savings online, not just on Cyber Monday but throughout the season.
The site is run by shop.org, which first coined the Cyber Monday name three years ago and now as a division of the National Retail Federation, is the industry's leading voice.
Another great online shopping comparison site is gottadeal.com.
It works like a spy site for shopping bargains.
It has an e-mail service that sends out the day's best deals.
For those on the move, it even has a mobile site that lets e-tail shoppers find specials from their cell phones.
For tech gear and big ticket electronic items, check out deals on the web.
For toys, books, clothes, and all your other gift ideas, look at a site called Ebizma.
It keeps track of the 20 largest websites for bargain hunters.
Finally, overstock.com works with leading brand name companies and helps clear out overstock items at great prices.
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