Retailers' Cyber Monday deals aim to stretch weekend

Retailers attempted to stretch out the momentum from Black Friday weekend, hoping to keep consumers spending at their computers with offers of discounts and free shipping on Cyber Monday - the traditional kickoff to the online shopping season.

"Online retailers have had a couple of years to hone their skills and recognize that Cyber Monday has become a shopping holiday for consumers," said John Squire, chief strategy officer of IBM Coremetrics, a San Mateo, Calif.-based online market research company. "I think a lot of retailers are firing on all cylinders for this day."

Merchants Monday used many promotional platforms, from social networking sites to traditional television commercials, to entice consumers sitting at their computers at home or at work, and to draw in shoppers looking for a deal with now ubiquitous smart phones, Squire said.

While Cyber Monday hasn't always been the biggest online shopping day in terms of sales, analysts were expecting retailers to have a strong performance this year based on reports of increased sales for Black Friday and the Thanksgiving Day weekend. National Retail Federation officials estimated sales from Thursday through Sunday would reach $45 billion, up from $41.2 billion last year.

Online sales on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving - were up 9 percent, according to comScore, a Reston, Va., online market research firm. Coremetrics reported sales for the day up 15.9 percent from the previous year with the average purchase order increasing by 12.1 percent. Jewelry retailers also reported a 17.6 percent increase in Black Friday sales, the company reported.

"One of the most important incentives centering around Cyber Monday and in general is free shipping," said Andrew Lipsman, a comScore analyst. "About 40 percent of all online transactions are conducted with free shipping [throughout the year]."

Free shipping and the ease of shopping without crowds are the primary reasons Judy Carey, a Massapequa service dog trainer, was shopping online Monday.

"I want to avoid the insanity," said Carey, who managed to buy several items with free shipping offers and, in one case, a 30 percent discount. "When you're in the store and you are walking around and see all the lines, you start impulse buying. It's crazy."

Robert Levine, 42, a Jericho financial adviser who has finished Hanukkah shopping for his children, didn't have as much luck finding computer equipment on sale. Some retailers began their Cyber Monday sales on Sunday and ran out of those sales items quickly, he said.