As of this writing, Cyber Monday, which is the first Monday after Black Friday and focuses on promoting online retail, is almost over. According to Shop.org, online sales were projected to be 15 percent over that for 2010; some other sources said it would be as great as 30 percent over last year, when sales topped $1 billion.
Whatever the exact figures are, it’s clear that the concept of Cyber Monday – to have one day devoted to buying via the Internet and now mobile devices, is a wild success. But what really is Cyber Monday, and how did it start.
A Marketing Strategy
As it happens ‘Cyber Monday’ is a marketing strategy and a term coined by a group of people representing the National Retailers Association’s Shop.org initiative in 2005. With then-Executive Director Scott Silverman taking the lead, the members of the association literally locked themselves in a room and came up with a number of ideas. But of all the concepts and names, ‘Cyber Monday’ was the one that emerged. It was presented in a press release by Shop.org on November 28, 2005, and then spread like wild fire.
Growth With Social Media
While Cyber Monday was spreading thanks to a great PR campaign featuring mentions on local television, it was the emergence and growth of social media that fueled the spread of Cyber Monday as a true day and a habit. For all practical purposes, Cyber Monday’s level of participation grew with the number of Facebook users. As of this writing, Black Friday 2011 sales were at $11.4 billion, and Cyber Monday sales will certainly top 10 percent of Black Friday totals. With all of the talk about a Recession – which is silly because we’ve not been in one in over 19 months – both Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales have set records.
(Which means someone’s lying to us about overall economic conditions.)
What Happened To Scott Silverman?
What happened to Mr. Silverman? According to sources, Scott stepped down from the ED post in 2010, and to move on to start an Internet startup called Ifeelgoods, Inc. But he’s still involved with Shop.org as Board Emeritus.
Zennie Abraham | Zennie Abraham or “Zennie62” is the founder of Zennie62Media which consists of zennie62blog.com and a multimedia blog news aggregator and video network, and 78-blog network, with social media and content development services and consulting. Zennie is a pioneer video blogger, YouTube Partner, social media practitioner, game developer, and pundit. Note: news aggregator content does not reflect the personal views of Mr. Abraham.
