Stick To A List To Avoid Overspending On Cyber Monday, Experts Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Experts were predicting a strong Cyber Monday for retailers, even though it may be in danger of losing its online sales title.
Experts say sales from this Cyber Monday could hit at least $3.3 billion, nine percent more than last year.
EXTRAS: Best Cyber Monday Sites | How To Shop Safely
"It's going to be a very strong Cyber Monday," said Joe Colangelo, president of Consumers Research. "You are looking at Amazon, of course is capturing the lions' share of Cyber Monday, and then Walmart is close after and then Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Home Depot -- these are three of the other major players."
The Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest online shopping day of the year, but stores released internet deals earlier than ever this year as well as making them available in stores.
Shoppers looking for discounts spurred online sales on Black Friday to a new high. Analysts say as consumers are buying more and more online, how stores run promotions and discounts has changed as well.
Tamara Gaffney, principal analyst and director at Adobe Digital Insights, says "Cyber Monday may not have as much gas left in the tank.''
As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, finding deals on Cyber Monday, can be confusing. There aren't any lines or crowds to contend with, just you and about 50,000 emails to sort through.
"I got my parents a wine cooler, and I got my boyfriend some shoes," Linnea Scott said.
Benjamon Glaser with DealNews.com said Cyber Monday is all about clothing. The number to beat today is 55.
"Banana Republic and all of its brands and stores 55 percent off sitewide, no exclusions," he said.
Experts said deals for electronics are better on Black Friday, but there were still some decent offers on Monday.
"WalMart has insane TV deals -- 50 percent off Samsung TVs," Sara Skirboll, RetailMeNot.com said.
If you want to compare prices, DealNews.com will do that for you.
Which will save you time, especially if you're trying to shop while working.
A recent RetailMeNot survey -- a website that carries coupons and promo codes for multiple retailers all in one place -- found 94 percent of working Americans will shop at work.
Experts cautioned against buying things that you don't need.
"Have a shopping list, and a budget even more importantly. Do a little research," Glaser said.
Experts also suggested monitoring bank account and credit card statements. There are lots of transactions happening on Monday, and it's important to keep an eye out for fraudulent activity,
Adobe says consumers spent $3.34 billion shopping online on Friday, a 21.6 percent increase from the same day last year.
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