Ecommerce site owners warned to prepare ahead of Cyber Monday as UK popularity increases

Online store owners should be prepared for another record Cyber Monday as the ecommerce shopping event continues to become increasingly popular in the UK, according to online printer and office supplier TonerGiant.co.uk .

Spikes in traffic on the 1st December will give brands the chance to sell to a new audience hungry for an offer. From ensuring servers can cope with this excess demand to creating strategic promotions, site owners should prepare now in order to capitalise on this opportunity.

Things to consider:

Preparing servers for increased volumes in traffic
Easy to navigate landing pages
Effective email marketing campaigns
Data-led offers and promotions
Leverage social media channels to maximise exposure
Paid search ads

In 2013, consumers set a record of 115 million visits to retail websites on Cyber Monday, beating the record number of visits in a single day which was set on Boxing Day 2012. (1)

UK shoppers also spent 15.3 million hours shopping online, spending on average 8 minutes per site visit. (1)

Last year saw total UK sales on Cyber Monday reach £600 million, almost double the figure from three years ago, as more British shoppers and retailers continue to adopt the day that’s been a fixture on the American shopping calendar since 2006. (2)

Gary Flynn, Managing Director of TonerGiant.co.uk, has also stressed the importance of not assuming that Cyber Monday applies only to certain product sectors and niches.

“These figures highlight just how big a day Cyber Monday has become in the online business calendar in this country. But it’s not just your traditional high street brands that benefit from this surge in shopping.

“For example at TonerGiant.co.uk we primarily sell office and printer supplies to businesses; not your typical festive season purchase. Yet even we noticed increased demand on Cyber Monday. Indeed last year we saw a 15.9% increase in traffic and a 33.2% increase in transactions on Cyber Monday compared to the Monday the previous week.

“It goes to show that no matter how big a business you are, what you sell and what your customer base is you can capitalise on the heightened popularity of Cyber Monday.”

TonerGiant.co.uk has created an infographic that details some of the key statistics from Cyber Monday 2013, as well as detailing a list of steps that site owners can take to ensure they’re suitably prepared for this year’s event. For more information visit http://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2014/11/cybermonday/.

Cyber Monday Info Graphic

Notes for editors:

About TonerGiant.co.uk
Launched in 2006, TonerGiant.co.uk is one of the UK’s largest online suppliers of printers, printer consumables and office stationery. It’s a trading brand of NetGiant Ltd, founded by Gary & Joanne Flynn in 2003. The company is based in Atherton, Greater Manchester. An asset library for the TonerGiant brand can be found at http://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/assets/.

Sources