The ceremonial kickoff to the online holiday shopping season for 2008 has begun.
According to a Shop.org survey, 84.6 million consumers plan to shop online from home or at work today (up from 72 million in '07 and 60.7 million in '06. The survey found that 37.2 percent of adults will shop online today, up over 16 percent over last year.
"Online retailers have been planning their Cyber Monday promotions for months and are eagerly waiting to debut these deals to shoppers," said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org. "Many people who didn't want to fight the crowds or get up early to stand in line over the weekend have been waiting until Cyber Monday to start their holiday shopping."
Shoppers who are looking for a bargain will be able to find thousands of deals online tomorrow. According to the Shop.org eHoliday Survey, conducted by Shopzilla, 83.7 percent of retailers will have a special promotion for Cyber Monday, up from 72.2 percent last year. The most popular promotions are expected to be specific deals (38.8%), email campaigns (32.7%), and one-day sales (24.5%). Additionally, nearly one-fourth of retailers (22.5%) will offer free shipping on all purchases.