Cyber Monday looks strong out of the gate

Early indicators point to retailers having an historically strong Cyber Monday.



According to the Adobe Digital Index, as of 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 30, Cyber Monday online sales had already reached $490 million. Considering Cyber Monday online sales in 2014 reached a total of around $2 billion, and early Cyber Monday sales were tracking ahead of the prior year by 14%, this is a very possible start to a record-breaking day.



Early Cyber Monday statistics also continued strong mobile usage rates seen on Black Friday. Mobile accounted for 53% of recorded traffic and 32% of recorded sales. Mobile online sales totaled $141.8 million.

Smartphones accounted for 41% of total online visits and $98 million, or 20% of online sales. Tablets accounted for 12% of total visits and $58.8 million, or 12% of online sales.

Target was among the retailers reporting record Cyber Monday traffic. The company said it slowed down its site to accomodate shoppers. PayPal also experienced outages.



IBM Watson analytical data on the first half of Cyber Monday showed similar trends. As of 1:31 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 30, IBM Watson indicated mobile accounted for about 32% of online sales and 47% of online traffic. Average order value equaled $132.62, with a conversion rate of 2.61%.

IBM has predicted Cyber Monday online sales will grow by more than 18% compared to 2014.

Look for further updates on Cyber Monday performance in Chain Store Age.