Business

Cyber Monday is over

So long, Cyber Monday.

As more consumers become comfortable with online shopping, “Cyber Monday” — the marketing term coined for the Monday after Thanksgiving — is nearing the end of its shelf life, experts said.

When the term was coined in 2005, only one-third of US adults had high-speed broadband at home, so the majority of shopping online was done at work. Today, 70 percent of Americans have high-speed broadband at home, according to the Pew Research Center.

Moreover, the line that once separated e-commerce from physical retail has blurred.

Most brick-and-mortar shops boast a strong online presence. At the same time, Web retailers are wary of being pigeonholed as online-only and are offering more options such as same-day delivery and in-store pickup.

Amazon.com, the world’s largest online retailer, has been busy touting its Black Friday sales on its home page while its Cyber Monday deals appear to be taking the back seat.

A recent study by Nielsen showed that 51 percent of consumers planned to do their Black Friday shopping online this year. By contrast, only 46 percent of consumers said they would be shopping Cyber Monday.

“I think the concept of Cyber Monday, even the word itself, will eventually slip out of our lexicon in a few years,” said Andrew Baker, a professor of marketing with San Diego State University.

While the marketing gimmick has outlasted its usefulness, plenty of shoppers will continue to bargain hunt on Monday. Research firm IBISWorld predicts Cyber Monday sales will rise 13 percent, to $1.77 billion.