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Front Page Talking Points

FOR THE WEEK OF NOV. 27, 2006

Cyber Monday kicks off the online holiday shopping season

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1.gifHave students examine the ads in this week's newspaper and see how many list a website within the ad. Which is the smallest retailer to list an online presence? Do any online-only retailers advertise in print newspapers?

2.gifWhere do students look for bargains? Online? Print newspapers? How many students explore the circulars newspapers deliver during the holiday shopping season? How many click on ads featured in online newspaper sites. Why are those ads effective (or ineffective)?

3.gifHow would students change print newspapers to make them more appealing to them as shoppers? How would they change online newspapers to make them more appealing to them as shoppers?

Reports over the weekend showed sales during this year's Black Friday are up six percent from last year, indicating a strong start to the holiday season. Black Friday, is traditionally one of the biggest holiday shopping days of the year. It's called "Black Friday" because it's the day retailers are said to finally start making a profit, or go into the black, for the year.

Cyber Monday targets online shoppers: But for shoppers unwilling to crawl out of bed at uncivilized hours to fight the maddening mall crowds, there is an alternative -- Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving. Monday this week marks the ceremonial kickoff to the ONLINE holiday shopping season. And analysts project it likely will be even bigger this year as retailers target shoppers with promotions and special savings.

Who shops online: More than half of consumers with Internet access at work plan to do some holiday shopping online from the office, up from 44.7 percent last year. Young adults with online access at work are the most likely to shop, with almost three-fourths of 18- to 24-year-olds and two-thirds of 25- to 34-year-olds planning to browse or buy online from the office this holiday season.

Cyber Monday myth or reality? Neither Black Friday nor Cyber Monday ranked among the top five online shopping days of 2005, according to several research firms. Retailers say peak online shopping is actually coming later and later in the season as express shipping becomes faster, more popular and cheaper, allowing procrastinators to wait in the knowledge that gifts can still be delivered in time. Last year, Cyber Monday was the second-largest online shopping day of the holiday season according to some analysts with Dec. 12 (one of the last days online retailers offered free standard shipping ) the largest. Analysts expect the biggest days of electronic commerce to occur in the week or two before Christmas, when online shoppers stop comparing and start buying.

Front Page Talking Points is written by Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.