Cyber Monday, dubbed ‘Mega Monday’ here in the UK, is taking place next week, where a whopping £500 million is expected to be spent by people using their broadband internet to shop online ahead of the impending Festive period. This follows ‘Black Friday’, which you may have heard about in the news today, which is the biggest shopping day of the year in the US. So what is Cyber Monday and what is all the fuss about? Plusnet finds out.
What is Cyber Monday?
Described as one of the biggest pre-Christmas shopping day of the year for the online market, figures are set to make online history as transactions top 7.7 million according to Visa Europe as eCommerce booms. Sage Pay, who provide forecast data, estimate that 2013’s Cyber Monday is likely to exceed the £456 million spent by consumers last year. The day itself is a transatlantic phenomenon, originally starting in the US as companies took advantage of the good spirits from consumers, and consumers enjoyed low prices following the Thanksgiving holiday period. But as the name suggests, this only exists online and so people will be looking to go gift shopping following one of, if not the last, paydays before Christmas. Last year saw us spend almost 115 million hours shopping online for our Christmas gifts, which included making over 112 million visits to retail websites according to research conducted by Experian.
Savvy smartphones and tablets
As illustrated with our recent survey, we seem to spending more and more time searching and purchasing through our mobiles, tablets and other portable devices on the move. Over half the UK population now have access to the internet on their mobile and Experian reported that visits to mobile retail websites grew by a staggering 135% compared year-on-year with 2011 used through Wi-Fi. This figure doesn’t even take into account people on the move using 3G. So why has mobile purchasing become so popular? In its simplest form, the main argument is that is about a matter of convenience. Websites and apps allow you to search for products and take you through the check-out process as quickly as possible to convert traffic into sales. And not just that, using mobile phones to pay for products whilst in store is also now another option to save time if you are out and about. Jonathan Jensen, a payment products specialist who blogs about the convergence of payments with mobiles, explains:
“Mobile, whether it's contactless, card or ecommerce makes it easier because it's spontaneous, convenient and simple. My favourite example is Apple EasyPay. Just pick something off the shelf in store, scan the barcode, walk out of the shop. That's frictionless payment. “Improving payments is all about taking friction out of the process and doing it better than what went before. “
Price comparison apps to get the best deals
However, when you are unsure of an item you want or if you want to shop around it can take some time. Price comparison websites are on the rise and this has brought new apps to the market that allow you to search for products and compare prices for top retailers. So if you are looking out for a bargain today, then what should you be using? Here are our favourite five:
Redlaser
Designed to know what’s nearest, this little app accesses all the current deals in your local area to ensure you don’t miss a bargain. You can either search for the product or scan the barcode to access all available deals online, along with its handy ‘favourites’ tool, which stores the products you are after. Not only that, but it keeps all your loyalty cards in one place so you never miss a discount again! 
Idealo
Idealo describe themselves as the price comparison specialist. With over 14,000 retailers and 300,000 products, this is a smart money saver to have on board when doing your Cyber Monday shopping. It allows you to compare prices for numerous online shops across the UK and has a brilliant in-built voucher code system, so if there are any further discounts available they will be added automatically, saving you even more money! Other features include its price monitoring system which allows you monitor a product for 90 days to see how its price changes. Along with its helpful review system this app ensures you make a very informed decision. 
Mysuperlist
Not all of your shopping may be from the high street and some of you may be intending to get your grocery deals in early. This convenient little app works by comparing products, prices and offers for all the major supermarkets. Through this app you can create and make shopping lists and find out which grocery store to go to for the best deals. Mysuperlist also allows you to set products reminders on your favourite items and the app will let you know when the price drops. Another of its resourceful features is its savvy buys, which alerts you of products priced much lower than normal. Altogether this app ensures you don’t miss a trick this Christmas! 
HotUKDeals
The benefits of this app really are endless, with its community of nearly 800,000 users you are bound to find a deal or discount that suits you. Updated daily this app gives you unrestricted access to the best savings across the country. HotUKDeals allows you to discover deals within your local area, whilst also allowing you to search the database for up-to-date voucher codes for numerous national retailers. If however you have a specific store in mind, you can filter your results down to the exact merchant or product you’re looking for. 
SkinFlint
For all you gadget seekers SkinFlint compares the prices of all electrical goods. From cameras and phones to garden products, Skinflint will find you the best deal from over 25,000 shops across the UK. Little added features include barcode and QR code scanners which allow you to find online deals as you browse the shops. Consumer reviews and a filter system displaying delivery times and the products availability are just a few added touches. 
Spend, spend, spend
So there you have it, today is the day to shop online and grab a bargain. To use a phrase used by the infamous Pools winner, Viv Nicholson, its time to ‘spend, spend, spend’ for the Festive period! Are there any apps out there that you think we have missed that we should be talking about? Will you be joining the mad rush for Cyber Monday? And if you grab a bargain, let us know on here and our Facebook and Twitter pages