Cyber ​​Monday on schedule for American online store record

(Reuters) – Cyber ​​Monday was on track to raise a record $ 7.8 billion of online sales in the United States, while millions of customers were looking for sharp discounts on everything from Lego sets to large screen TV & # 39; s.

The marketing event was expected to gain steam tonight, as West Coast buyers close deals after work and purchase purchases on the American East Coast before bedtime, according to Adobe Analytics, which measures transactions among 80 of the 100 largest US vendors.

"Many buyers have been waiting for certain purchases, of which it is expected that three o'clock tonight will generate as much revenue as an average full day," said Taylor Schreiner, director of Adobe Digital Insights.

Target Corp and Amazon.com Inc did everything they could by offering free delivery without minimum order requirements and bombarding shoppers with promotional emails. Companies had registered $ 531 million from 10 am ET, discovered Adobe Analytics.

The shares of Amazon were 5 percent higher in the afternoon trade. Macy's Inc, Kohls Corp and Target shares also rose.

In another estimate, Mastercard SpendingPulse predicts a 25 percent jump in the sales volume of e-commerce to at least $ 3 billion. This figure was based on sales via the Mastercard payment network and estimates for other forms of payment such as cash and checks.

These American forecasts were still pale compared to the "Singles Day" of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd earlier this month, which gained $ 30.7 billion in sales.

The promotion efforts prior to American shopping madness attracted the anger of some who complained that they had woken up with more emails from Cyber ​​Monday than in recent years.

"Yes, retailers, I am aware that it is Cyber ​​Monday, even without the 150 e-mails," tweeted Keina (@RealMamaEagle), a Delaware user.

THIEF DISCOUNTS ON TOYS

With an estimated 75 million customers, the day was a test for online platforms and delivery activities of retailers.

If there was no backup with the right IT infrastructure, heavy traffic could have caused hours of failures, such as during Amazon's Prime Day marketing event in July.

But from 2.30 pm. ET on Monday, no major American chain had technical problems, according to down tracker DownDetector.com. On Black Friday, some websites, including clothing store J.Crew and the home improvement chain Lowe & # 39; s Cos Inc, had temporary interruptions.

Consumers increasingly buy online holiday gifts, weakening the importance of Black Friday when consumers traditionally flocked to the physical stores for the best deals.

"I find Cyber ​​Monday more convenient than Black Friday," said Jeissy Casilla, 23, a salesperson in Puerto Rico, adding that it allowed her to browse through multiple stores and offers and avoid long queues.

"I think Cyber ​​Monday is better in terms of how much you can do while doing so little – in fact a better chance of the best deals," she said.

Toys were expected to have the biggest rebates, said Adobe Analytics, as retailers are rushing to fill the void left by the bankruptcy of America's largest toy retailer Toys & # 39; R & # 39; Us.

Target offered a 30 percent discount on special toys, while Kohl & # 39; s discounted Lego bets between 30 percent and 40 percent.

Merkwatch for social media conversations said that of the 13,000 mentions on social media from #Cybermonday, the Apple Watch and the Red Dead Redemption 2 video game were two products that were highly discussed.

The National Retail Federation predicts that US retail sales in the holidays, including online, in November and December will be between 4.3% and 4.8% between 2017 and the year, for a total of $ 717.45 billion to $ 720.89 billion.