29 CYBER MONDAY

Cyber Monday, AKA, the online version of Black Friday seems to be bigger and better each year with more deals, more sales, and more savings. Mark your calendars for November 30, the date anticipated for Cyber Monday. Yet lots of retailers release early deals that make consumers rethink waiting until the end of the month. Thanks to the pandemic, it is projected to be substantially larger than what we have ever seen before. Most people plan to do their holiday shopping solely online.

As an online marketing stunt, stores use Cyber Monday to publicize to consumers that it's their last chance to save big, and better yet, they don't have to leave their house. Whether you shopped on Black Friday or not, the advertising for Cyber Monday builds to take advantage of people's appetite for material, rather than our need. Come Monday morning, many of us return to work or school after the holiday weekend, we log onto our favorite sites seeking their latest sales.

Consumerism is the root of shopping, spending then ending in storage or stuffed in a closet but hey, at least we got it on sale, right? It is the pinnacle of brands inducing the want for items. Hypothetically, if we got everything we needed throughout the year, there would be no need to budget our expenses for these two days out of the year and we would be less likely to be the victim to this occurrence.

With major businesses filing for bankruptcy due to COVID-19, these infamous shopping events are more important than ever to replenish the decline in business. For some stores, they plan to extend their deals both online and

MOnDay

in-store to make sure that the flow of customers can stay safe along with buying all they can for this holiday season. Bath and Body Works, for example, is planning for their Black Friday to be a weeklong event including deals on their threewick candles, hand soaps, and more. To further attract their customers, they announced their exclusive fan-favorites that rarely go on sale will be at a discounted price. Another popular store for holiday shopping, JCPenney’s kicked off their deals as early as mid-October with “Cyber Days” and continued to have weekend sales through November as an early preview of what they offer for Cyber Monday.

Although Black Friday releases the serotonin of excitement from waiting outside stores and shouldering the shoppers, Cyber Monday is simply better. Notably, Black Friday is expanding. Many retailers give a glimpse of the deals they have to offer weeks before heading to your favorite mall. But, the problem is consumers don’t want to physically go get things in which the concept of Cyber Monday dominates Black Friday. Especially during this phase in our world, where large groups of people are considered to be dangerous, Cyber Monday is not only practical but safe.

Pandemic or not, Cyber Monday is my favorite time to divulge my shopping urges. Having multiple tabs open whether it’s Amazon on one and Urban Outfitters on the other, I’m able to budget between the sites and not get a “shoppers high” spending more than what. Sometimes the deals on clearance are almost better than what is displayed for Black Friday. In all the weirdness that 2020 has brought, we can expect that many retailers will have their specials ready to go for what they hope will be a huge shopping day. BY Joelena Sandoval

ADVANCEMENTS IN FASHION TECHNOLOGYADVANCEMENTS IN FASHION TECHNOLOGy

Advancements in promotions and associated clients' feet and render an exact best products in person. Face technology in items, organizations and model that allows sales reps to recognition and body scanning combination with purchasers are sold or bought on coordinate clients with a correct technology allow for even more the hurdles put in the IoT. Gartner Inc. gauged in pair of shoes. The innovation brand trust this holiday season. front of traditional shopping has 2015 that the IoT would flaunt is now being utilized by New Now, you can ensure those resulted in retailers turning their roughly 21 billion IoT connected Balance to furnish clients with sweaters will fit your sister and focus towards digital interactions gadgets around the world. Little an individual and quicker that lipstick will definitely be this holiday season. While did they know that the pandemic shopping experience. In a your mom’s color. some retailers have crumbled would speed up their growth to “Marcus: by Goldman Sachs” under the pressure of the project near 31 billion gadgets article on 3D body-filtering Beyond online retail pandemic, others have adapted just within the year 2020. applications, experts determined and marketing technology, to the current climate. AI, face how this innovation can digital wallets have been used recognition, and one-on-one Another addition to enormously diminish the near significantly more this year virtual services are just some of consumerism technology this 30% return rate for web-based for consumer ease, which also the ways stores are staying afloat holiday season was the idea of buys. This is mainly because the has resulted in advancements during these times of change. social shopping. Similar to the technology gives more precise in payment cybersecurity. By ways traditional mall shoppers estimations for clothing. As long adding an options in payment According to IBM’s like to take their time browsing as the client has a cell phone for double-verification, such as a 2020 U.S. Retail Index report, during the holiday season for that can accurately depict sizes, thumbprint or face recognition, the pandemic has accelerated the perfect gifts for each loved they can utilize these easy tools there’s another level of security the shift to digital shopping by one, online shoppers will often too. Retailers who have already and trust built between the roughly five years. One of the browse for hours if not days begun using this kind of tech brand and consumer. main ways companies have been before making a purchase. have seen a 40% decline in able to reach a larger audience, Social shopping pioneer sites returned items. All this combined is also faster with this increased shift like Pinterest and Instagram, driving us into another arising is through data collection tools. are beginning to play a critical This same technology territory in enlarged retail and These tiny collections of data role in making social shopping is now being used in beauty computerized shopping: virtual produced through cookies, the main pattern. For example, stores like Sephora and Ulta products as items. Extravagant hashtags, and other data create organizations like Stitch Fix, an and much more frequently retailers like Louis Vuitton are micro-celebrations for each online personal styling company, since in-person shopping now offering computerized company. These advancements have extended their utilization of experiences have completely skins, marked apparel to dress in search engine optimization social stages to show their dress changed. Social distant and characters with, in the esports give consumers faster product assortment to their clients prior touchless shopping has left many game League of Legends. recommendations, auto-fill to dispatching the requests. It retailers to find innovative ways Customer spending on gaming products, and order fulfillment enables current clients to see the to stay connected with their skins overall is anticipated to automation. dress assortment and remember shoppers. Additionally, with hit $50 billion (USD) by 2022, it for their future conveyance. in-store shopping having less meaning that even if consumers A majority of these try-on products available than are shopping for material items companies collect this data Increased speed means usual, many online shoppers feel there’s now potential for them to through the Internet of Things increased competition, so stuck picking between products shop virtual merchandise as well. Technology (IoT), which has retailers and brands are going to without knowing how they feel come to fruition and affected the most recent innovations to or fit. No matter how fast, safe, retail in a significant manner improve the marketing of their or amazing online shopping within the last year. From items. For instance, one Swedish might seem, there will still BY Autumn Schieferstein computerized portable checkouts organization, Volumental, always be consistent concern and brilliant racks to customized has 3D programming to filter about being able to choose the

TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGy

best products in person. Face recognition and body scanning technology allow for even more brand trust this holiday season. Now, you can ensure those sweaters will fit your sister and that lipstick will definitely be your mom’s color.

Beyond online retail and marketing technology, digital wallets have been used significantly more this year for consumer ease, which also has resulted in advancements in payment cybersecurity. By adding an options in payment for double-verification, such as a thumbprint or face recognition, there’s another level of security and trust built between the brand and consumer.

All this combined is also driving us into another arising territory in enlarged retail and computerized shopping: virtual products as items. Extravagant retailers like Louis Vuitton are now offering computerized skins, marked apparel to dress characters with, in the esports game League of Legends. Customer spending on gaming skins overall is anticipated to hit $50 billion (USD) by 2022, meaning that even if consumers are shopping for material items there’s now potential for them to shop virtual merchandise as well.

BY Autumn Schieferstein

photo by maja peirce and sydney witte