Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

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I love the thought of saving money of landing a huge bargain. And I was about to brave the crowds on Black Friday to grab some of those advertised deals for myself and those on my holiday gift list. But I was stuck at my in-laws without a car.

Then I remembered Cyber Monday, an online trend that started five years ago when retailers began wooing shoppers with special online deals the Monday after Thanksgiving. Shopping online is easier anyway.

I started getting emails on Saturday and saving them in my "coupons" folder especially for Monday night. I would camp out on my sofa with my laptop and snacks for some prime time deal surfing.

With my mental list, I began opening windows to dozens of online stores. About half had the expected sales -- free shipping, percentages off, Christmas items on sale. The rest, it was business as usual, with maybe a small promotion like free shipping when you spend $75 or more.

I looked. And looked. None of the gifts I set out to buy for others were to be found for a bargain. Where are all these sales the media was touting?

Wait. I found one. Yes, ONE. I was bad. I bought only one item. And it was for me. Well, I can pawn it off as a gift for the house. (It was an organic cotton blanket that I'd been eying since the cold weather blew away my warmth.) But, I'm sure I'm the only one who'll use it hog it.

According to the National Retail Federation, Cyber Monday sales were "softer-than-expected" during lunch, but quickly beat projections after the evening tally. Seems there's been a shift from consumers shopping during their lunch hour at the office to browsing at home at night.

Shop.org reported that "nearly nine in ten (87.1%) retailers offered a special promotion for Cyber Monday," up from last year. I must have been shopping on the wrong sites.

Looks like Verizon went all out to push the new Motorola Droid. As this article points out, the company must have spent a pretty penny on Facebook ads to attract a huge amount of fans. The reward? Fans got a deal on Verizon's FiOS broadband/TV/phone package and exclusive Green Day concert footage.

So I put the question to Organics. Another colleague said she couldn't find anything she wanted or needed for that can't miss price either. She bought, but not because of the price.

Another colleague made his Black Friday trip a success by NOT buying an item his wife was eying in the store. He used his ebay app on his  iPhone to find it for $100 cheaper! Now that's what I call cyber success.

How have your Holiday shopping habits changed with technology? How are you finding your bargains this season?

Sarah Jo Sautter