Cyber Monday Sales Australia 2020: When is it? What to expect?

It’s the biggest online sale event of the year and this is everything you need to know about the sales in one spot.

Get November 30 in your diary ASAP. Picture: iStock.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday – four words that will get the pulse of any online shopper rushing.

This year’s Cyber Monday sales will occur on November 30, following the Black Friday deals on November 27, and with online shopping more popular and necessary than ever, the deals are expected to be fantastic.

From the key websites to keep an eye on, to what to expect and our top tips to get the most out of the event, here’s what you need to know about the Cyber Monday sales.

With the pandemic converting more people into online shoppers, Cyber Monday is expected to deliver record sales this year. Picture: iStock.

WHAT IS CYBER MONDAY AND WHY IS IT CALLED CYBER MONDAY?

Occurring on the Monday following the Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday is considered to be the largest annual online shopping event.

The term itself was coined in 2005 by Ellen Davis, a PR Executive from the US National Retail Federation. She noted that online retailers saw their sales increase substantially on the Monday after Thanksgiving in Amercia, dubbing the phenomena ‘Cyber Monday’. Clearly the term stuck.

Back then online shopping was still a relatively new concept, with unreliable home internet connections not up to the task, Cyber Monday now generates more in sales than Black Friday. In 2019 tech company Salesforce reported Americans spent $7.4 billion on Black Friday and $8 billion on Cyber Monday, with both figures growing every year.

The shopping trend has since become a key event in the Australian retail calendar too. Australia Post’s 2020 E-Commerce Industry Report stated Black Friday and Cyber Monday generated more in sales than Boxing Day in 2019, with this year’s promotions expected to be the biggest yet.

With social distancing restrictions expected to still be in place in Novembers, online shopping is expected to remain popular. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

WHAT ARE THE BEST DEALS FOR CYBER MONDAY IN AUSTRALIA?

While Black Friday was seen as an opportunity for big name retailers to draw in large crowds, Cyber Monday allows smaller e-tailers to draw in shoppers hungry for a bargain.

For fashion and beauty lovers, heavy discounts from The Iconic, ASOS, Sephora, Adore Beauty, Mecca are always highly anticipated and definitely sites to note. Catch Australia, eBay, Amazon Australia, Myer, David Jones and Harvey Norman will also be ones to watch for splurge-worthy, big ticket items like appliances and electronics.

Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until the days before the event, or on Cyber Monday to see exactly what sales are on offer. However rest assured we’ll update this post with the most unmissable deals as soon as they’re announced.

Although we can expect retailers like Amazon Australia, The Iconic and Catch Australia to offer impressive sales, their exact deals won’t be revealed until closer to the event. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

ARE CYBER MONDAY DEALS REAL?

For the most part yes, however online safety experts have warned that these intense sale periods can lead to an increase in online scams. In order to reduce the risk of being scammed, shoppers are advised to make purchases from trusted online retailers and avoid anything that looks too good to be true.

According to Scam Watch, most online shopping scams involve fraudsters pretending to be legitimate sellers through sham websites or those who post fake ads on genuine retailer sites like eBay.

The government body instructs shoppers to look out for warning signs like:

– Suspiciously low-prices and overly hyped-up claims

– Sellers who ask for immediate payment via electronic funds transfer or a wire service

– Social media stores with little genuine customer engagement who provide little information about their delivery and store policies.

– Online retailers who don’t provide adequate information about privacy, terms and conditions of use, dispute resolution or contact details

– Retailers that don’t allow secure payment services like PayPal or Eftpos.

If you do fall victim to an online shopping scam, payment services like PayPal and some credit and debit cards may be able to help you recover your funds. It’s also recommended you make a claim or flag the issue with your bank as soon as you suspect something has gone wrong.

WHAT ABOUT THE BLACK FRIDAY SALES?

Marked in every savvy shopper’s calendar, Black Friday sales include online and bricks-and-mortar retailers offer huge savings on everything from beauty, toys and electronics to fashion, furniture and travel. The sales start on the Friday following Thanksgiving and marks the beginning of the holiday and Christmas spending period.

In Australia, Black Friday is now competing with Boxing Day as our biggest shopping event. In 2019, National Australia Bank expected shoppers would spend $2.9 billion on the Black Friday sales and in 2018, the shopping bonanza generated over $400 million.

For another unmissable sale, Amazon Prime Day will also be one to watch. Here’s everything you need to know about the day … including when we think it is.