Cyber Monday Statistics
Meaghan has provided content and guidance for indie retailers as the editor for a number of retail publications and a speaker at trade shows. She is Fit Small Business’s authority on retail and ecommerce.
Brigitte is a retail specialist and staff writer with brick and mortar management experience. She is versed in retail sales analysis, merchandising, and buying with an emphasis in retail sales and marketing across platforms. She has a BA in writing from Washington University, St. Louis.
This article is part of a larger series on Retail Management.
In the News: 2022 Cyber Monday Results
- According to Adobe Analytics, 2022 Cyber Monday sales totaled $11.3 billion, a 5.3% increase over last year.
- National Retail Federation reports 77 million people shopped online during this year’s Cyber Monday.
- A record 59% of online shoppers purchased from mobile devices, compared to 52% last year.
- 22.6 million shopped in-store during Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday, the ecommerce shopping holiday that takes place the Monday after Thanksgiving, is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, even rivaling its contemporary, Black Friday.
This article takes a look at Cyber Monday statistics from the past two years, along with projections for 2022, so you can understand the landscape and capitalize on all the buying potential Cyber Monday brings.
General Cyber Monday Statistics
From sales figures to discount data, read through the statistics below to learn more about Cyber Monday (a term coined from a press release on Shop.org by the National Retail Federation back in 2005) and what the holiday has looked like over the past few years.
1. Cyber Monday hit $10.7 billion in sales and 97.3 million shoppers in 2021
2021’s Cyber Monday sales hit $10.7 billion in the US alone, drawing in 77 million online shoppers and about 20 million in-store shoppers.
2. Spending was down nearly 1.5% from 2020 to 2021
While $10.7 billion is a massive figure, sales were actually down year-over-year. In fact, Adobe found that spending was down over 1.4%, representing about $100 million of revenue loss.
3. Cyber Monday sees revenue of $12 million every minute at peak times
Despite the drop in revenue YOY, Cyber Monday is still the biggest online shopping day of the year, with US consumers spending an average of $12 million every minute during peak times.
Learn how to get your business online so you can capitalize on ecommerce sales with our guide to How to Start an Online Store: Beginner’s Guide
4. Retailers sent over 40 billion messages to customers over BFCM weekend in 2021
Outreach marketing surges over the competitive BFCM (Black Friday Cyber Monday) weekend, with retailers doing all they can to reach shoppers. One of the top strategies that emerged in 2021 was via SMS and email. Over the BFCM weekend, more than 40 billion messages were sent to customers, increasing 34% from 2020. Not only that, but mobile push notifications grew 114% and email volume increased by 25% from the previous year.
Businesses are using new and innovative marketing strategies to stand out over the BFCM weekend. Learn more about how you can stay competitive with our articles on Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing strategies.
5. Online shopping is more than 3x more popular than in-store shopping for Cyber Monday
While in-store shopping was up in 2021 compared to 2020 (which we will touch on later), online shopping channels still dominated the BFCM shopping period, particularly on Cyber Monday.
6. Amazon, Walmart, and eBay were 2021’s Cyber Monday traffic leaders
The big three—Amazon, Walmart, and eBay—led the way in retail traffic for 2021’s Cyber Monday. Other big names, including Macy’s, Away, and Ticketmaster, also saw massive rebounds in their 2021 Cyber Monday sales compared to the previous year. The notable declines include Wayfair and Kohl’s, both dropping below 2019 traffic.
7. Cyber Week 2021’s average discounts were 26%
According to Salesforce data, Cyber Week saw an increase in average selling price (ASP) by 11% in the US. Meanwhile, average discounts fell 8% year-over-year to 26%.
Cyber Monday Consumer Behaviors
In this section we will look at how consumers are shopping on Cyber Monday, answering questions on their preferences, expectations, and general behaviors.
8. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) revenue increased 21% between Cyber Monday 2020 and 2021
BNPL services are growing in popularity across the board, and Cyber Monday 2021 saw a 21% increase in BNPL revenue compared to 2020. Although still growing, BNPL adoption rates are beginning to slow, however.
Want to learn more? Read our article on BNPL statistics and our guide to setting up BNPL for your business.
9. 18% of online orders on Cyber Monday were from buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS)
Nearly one in five online orders on Cyber Monday was a curbside pickup order, demonstrating that making this service available is a necessity for converting sales in 2022.
Use our guides to learn how to set up BOPIS services for your business, and see its importance in the modern retail landscape with our BOPIS stats.
10. Share of online shopping traffic was 39% higher on mobile than desktop in 2021
For the 2021 BFCM weekend, mobile claimed a 69% share of online shopping traffic (compared to only 31% for desktop). However, online conversion rates were 4% on desktop and only 2% on mobile.
11. 64% of shoppers prefer larger, limited-time discounts
Rather than offering smaller discounts and offers for the whole holiday season, try doing shorter-term, steeper discounts. A study from Tidio found that 64% of shoppers prefer limited-time, but larger discounts as opposed to smaller, long-term deals.
12. Free shipping is customers’ top consideration when shopping online
Free shipping is most important to online shoppers on Cyber Monday. Other top considerations are shipping speed—people want their orders fast!—and customer reviews.
Learn how to offer free shipping this holiday season with our guide to How To Offer Free Shipping on Your Products.
13. 54% of shoppers use 5+ online shopping channels to shop on Cyber Monday
According to data from Google, more than half of Cyber Monday shoppers use five or more shopping channels to shop on Cyber Monday. This likely means that the majority of consumers are comparing deals, investigating reviews, and weighing their options for all Cyber Monday purchases.
Cyber Monday 2022 Projections
Cyber Monday 2022 is coming, and we have the latest studies and projections for this year’s largest day in ecommerce.
14. Cyber Monday is expected to remain the season’s and year’s biggest shopping day, with $11.2 billion in spending
Although the prominence of Cyber Monday is diminishing as discounts come earlier and online shopping becomes a more common daily activity, it is still projected to be the biggest shopping day of the year. Adobe predicts that Cyber Monday 2022 will see a record-breaking $11.2 billion in spending, increasing 5.1% YoY.
15. 64% of US consumers will shop on Cyber Monday in 2022 — a 42% increase from 2021
A study from Drive Research found that 64% of respondents are planning to shop on Cyber Monday in 2022. Compared to 2021, that’s an increase of 42%.
16. 49% of the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers will shop on Cyber Monday
While research suggests that 64% of people will be participating in Cyber Monday, for older generations, the participation rate is slightly lower. Only 49% of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation are planning to shop that day.
17. Female consumers are more likely to shop on Cyber Monday than males
You can expect to see more female than male shoppers this Cyber Monday, with 69% of females planning to shop compared to only 58% of males.
18. 80% of Cyber Monday shoppers plan to shop on Amazon
Of the online stores consumers will visit on Cyber Monday, Amazon was the choice of 80% of people; Target and Walmart were next with 51% and 50%, respectively. Other common answers included Kohl’s (28%), Best Buy (26%), Old Navy (19%), Costco (18%), and Macy’s (18%).
19. 66% of online shoppers are going to spend more than last year
Two-thirds of online buyers plan to spend more money this Cyber Monday than last. This can partially be attributed to inflation and partially to the increased proliferation of the holiday.
20. Amazon Prime Day might cause Cyber Monday sales to take a hit
The first Amazon Prime Day event of 2022 drove record online sales for the retail industry overall, with $73.7 billion spent, up 20.9% YoY. A second Prime Day event was held in early October. These discounts will entice some consumers to start their shopping sooner and have fewer needs by the time late November rolls around, potentially impacting Cyber Monday’s performance.
21. Discounts will hit record highs this holiday season at 32%
As retailers contend with oversupply and a softening consumer spending environment, discounts are anticipated to be much higher than last year. The average discount for 2022 is projected to come in at 32%.
Discounts for computers are expected to be as high as 32% (up from 10% in 2021), while electronics discounts are set to hit 27% (up from 8%), and toys at 22% (up from 19%). Other discount categories will include televisions at 19% (vs 11% in 2021), apparel at 19% (vs 13%), appliances at 18% (vs 4%), sporting goods at 17% (vs 6%), and furniture & bedding at 11% (vs 2%).
Bottom Line
Cyber Monday is a big deal in the world of retail. You can prepare and reap the rewards by understanding Cyber Monday by the numbers. Here we broke down everything Cyber Monday—with the previous year’s performance metrics, consumer preferences, and projections for the coming years giving you everything you need to capitalize on the biggest online shopping day.
