61 MILLION WILL SHOP ONLINE FOR HOLIDAYS.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer There are two things the average consumer can count on this holiday season: an expanding waistline and more shopping online. Some 61 million people will shop on the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the , up from 51 million last year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the National Retail Federation. By shopping online, consumers are extending Black Friday Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869, in U.S. history, day of financial panic. In 1869 a small group of American financial speculators, including Jay Gould and James Fisk, sought the support of federal officials of the Grant administration in a drive to corner the gold , the traditional start of the holiday shopping frenzy Frenzy Beatlemania term referring to the Beatles’ (rock musicians) immense popularity; manifested by screaming fans in the 1960s. [Pop. Culture: Miller, 172–181] Big Bull Market , to Cyber Monday The name given by online retailers and e-commerce experts to the Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday. With its Black Friday counterpart in actual store-based traffic, analysts have pointed to significant spikes in online shopping on Cyber Monday. , when shoppers make a purchase on a retailer's Web site after checking out the product in-store during the weekend. The rush of Internet buying right after Thanksgiving Thanksgiving annual U.S. holiday celebrating harvest and yearly blessings; originated with Pilgrims (1621). [Am. Culture: EB, IX: 922] See : America Thanksgiving national holiday with luxurious dinner as chief ritual. [Am. Pop. is changing the way online retailers, called e-tailers, do business. ``We are actually tailoring special promotions around Cyber Monday,'' said Sheliah Gilliland Gilliland is a surname and may refer to:
This year, eToys expects its holiday sales to increase 20 percent, a modest figure compared to last year's increase of 92 percent, she said. For consumers, online shopping means shoppers often make quicker purchases at brick-and-mortar stores because they have already researched the item and determined what is a good price. It also means better prices because there is more competition. One sign of that competition is the rise in free shipping deals this year. Four out of five retailers are offering free shipping, up from three out of five last year last year, according to Shopzilla, a price-comparison Web site. ``Online retailers see free shipping as a necessary evil,'' said Federation spokeswoman Ellen Davis. ``It's something that brings in customers, but free shipping isn't free to them.'' To avoid wasting free shipping deals on those just buying a single, low-priced item, retailers often require a customer spend a certain dollar amount or buy at least a few items, Davis said. One of the biggest draws of e-tailers is their hours. While regular stores are expanding their holiday hours by opening in the wee hours the day after Thanksgiving, Internet stores never close. Said Helen Malani, a Shopzilla shopping expert; ``E-tailers are ready for you to shop as soon as you finish your last bite of turkey.'' julia.scott@dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 |
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