This year could see more online shopping as the nasty Swine Flu is sweeping the country and forcing some poor shoppers to be housebound for a week or more. For some, that is a great time to do some shopping. Of course, the economy is still dragging around the world which could affect online sales this year. Only time will tell.

Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) is traditionally the kick off for a surge in online shopping activity. Last year, even in a struggling economic environment, online shoppers spent an average of $372.57 during Black Friday weekend, up 7.2 percent from 2007 according to the National Retail Federation. I have some more stats about Black Friday 2008 if you’re interested.

But Black Friday isn’t traditionally the biggest online shopping day of the year. Both Cyber Monday and Green Monday and the December days in between are bigger days for online shopping. According to ComScore, the biggest online shopping days in 2008 were:

* Source: ComScore

Interestingly, historical data shows us that the biggest online shopping day is getting earlier and earlier. According to ComScore Data, the biggest online shopping days for the last 8 years were:

2000: December 18th, Monday
2001: December 17th, Monday
2002: December 16th, Monday
2003: December 15th, Monday
2004: December 13th, Monday
2005: December 12th, Monday
2006: December 13th, Wednesday
2007: December 10th, Monday
2008: December 9th, Tuesday

Notice the trend?

People seem to be shopping earlier and earlier online. Also, whatever it is about Mondays, there is definitely a trend of heavy shopping on Mondays. Perhaps people are depressed on Mondays, being the first day back to work after the weekend holiday parties are over – and some online shopping makes them feel better? Interestingly, the day of the week seems to be less telling during the last three years. Perhaps the Monday trend is shifting?

The best strategy for email marketers and online merchants is to:

1. Be present with special offers in place from Thanksgiving Day (“Eighty percent of success is just showing up” – Woody Allen)
2. Communicate your special offers regularly via email, twitter, facebook, your blog and website (spread the word)
3. Offer free shipping with no minimum purchase (my wife looks for this)
4. Provide friendly, timely and enthusiastic customer service (encourage them to come back for more with a good attitude)
5. Fulfill orders in a timely and professional manner (to prevent complaints, returns and refunds)
6. Present customers with value that they will talk to others about (Word of mouth is your best friend)

Are you ready?

You can find more articles relating to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Green Monday by searching those terms on this blog.