Cyber Monday specials as seen on the Costco website on Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday hit a new record this year as shoppers skipped physical stores for deals on websites. Monday shopping brought in $1.735 billion in desktop online spending this year, making it the most lucrative online shopping day in history.
Compared to last year, there was an 18 percent increase in online shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend, according to comScore. Shoppers also hit online outlets the weekend before Cyber Monday, spending $1.594 billion — a 34 percent increase over last year. U.S. Consumers have spent a total of $23.9 billion online for the 2013 holiday season-to-date.
Monday is the first full workday after Thanksgiving, and as employees return to their desks, they browse online for holiday deals. The success of the Cyber Monday stands in stark contrast to a lackluster Black Friday: sales the day after Thanksgiving fell an estimated 2.9% this year.