Shoppers who don't want to face the crowded stores on Thanksgiving or Black Friday but still want to get some good deals often shop online on Cyber Monday. But the Monday after Thanksgiving is no longer the best day for online shopping.
Every year, sales start earlier and earlier. Now, many start on Thanksgiving -- both in brick-and-mortar stores and online -- so you're better off shopping earlier to catch the best deals. Here's why:
Most of the good deals start way before Cyber Monday. Amazon started its Black Friday sales a full week before Black Friday (and 10 days before Cyber Monday). Other stores, such as Best Buy, will have special online-only deals on Thanksgiving.
You won't be alone if you start shopping on your phone during Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is projected to be the biggest mobile shopping day of the year, according to Adobe.
The deals are not as good. Your best bet for online shopping is actually Thanksgiving, according to research by Adobe. Online prices are lowest on Thanksgiving, higher on Black Friday and even higher on Cyber Monday. Now you officially have an excuse to shop on your phone while your family argues.
What you want could be sold out. The things you want to buy are probably available in limited quantities, and a lot of things could be sold out by Monday. Adobe measured how often online shoppers were looking at out-of-stock items and found that Cyber Monday was the top day for people to land on out-of-stock items' pages, suggesting that people were having a hard time buying what they were seeking.
Amazon is taking advantage of this by creating deals that exist only for a limited time or while supplies last.
You're more likely to get your gifts in time for the holidays. As you may recall from last year, UPS had difficulty getting packages to their destinations by Christmas. Amazon ended up offering people $20 gift cards if their gifts were delayed. The earlier you shop, the better the chances are that your items will arrive in time for the holidays.