Last weekend, my son innocently asked me, “What was it like before Wi-Fi?” The question gave me serious pause – I remember when I was young asking my own parents what it was like before television. How quickly things have changed.
It may be hard to remember now, but there was a time when Wi-Fi wasn’t so widespread. We didn’t have high-speed Internet access at home. And when it came to continuing holiday shopping after Black Friday, many of us waited until Monday to take advantage of the dependable, faster connection at work. And as millions of customers did just that, Cyber Monday was born.
Over the years, it’s become huge. The biggest online shopping day of the year for us. And yes, millions of customers still shop on Monday morning, opting for clicks and carts versus email and spreadsheets. But as faster Internet speeds have become ubiquitous, and as mobile has swept across the landscape, connecting even more Americans to the Internet whenever they wanted, so many of them have felt compelled to stay awake past midnight to access the best specials the moment they were posted.
But it’s 2015 now, and as we’re increasingly able to access the Internet anytime, anywhere, there’s less of a reason to have to stay up late or fit our shopping into the workday. We can do it when and how we like.
At Walmart, our research shows this interesting find:
That’s why this year, we’re starting our Cyber Monday hours earlier on Sunday evening, making it easier for customers to get ahead on saving money during the busiest online shopping day of the year. Historically, when Walmart released select Cyber Monday deals on Sunday evening, our website traffic increased significantly. Customers have changed, but until now, Cyber Monday hasn’t really changed with them. We’re making shopping faster and easier, all season long.
Maybe at some point in the future, the next generation may ask with wide-eyed disbelief, “Did you really stay up past midnight to shop online?”