Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday in 2023: what day is better for shopping?
Black Friday and Cyber Monday, celebrated respectively on the last Friday of November and the following Monday, are two days with some of the best deals of the year to buy all kinds of goods. Read on to discover what is the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and when it's better to buy your desired items at the best prices.
When are Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2023?
In 2023, Black Friday falls on 24 November, the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday takes place right after that weekend, thus on Monday the 27th of November. Are you ready for the biggest shopping days of the year?
What are the origins of Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday first appeared in the United States during the early 1960s. Stores invented Black Friday to refer to the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is the day that kicks off the Christmas shopping season, and retailers take advantage of it to offer huge discounts to attract customers to their stores. We are talking about significant price drops of 40% - 50%... or even more! Over time, the term has become more widespread and the tradition has reached many countries around the world.
As for Cyber Monday, it is, in essence, a marketing strategy initiated in 2005 to encourage online purchases, when buying online was far less common than it has become in the present day. Quite seriously, it was introduced on Monday and not on Saturday for example, because people preferred to shop from their office, where the internet connection used to be faster than at home. Nowadays, companies take advantage of Cyber Monday to sell their old stock.
Over time, the differences between one day and the other have become rather blurred, and now there are thousands of online stores offering price reductions on Black Friday, as well as physical stores that offer discounts on Cyber Monday.
Which day is better for shopping: Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
Spoiler alert: Neither day is better than the other. It ultimately depends on your circumstances and what type of items you are looking to buy.
Black Friday, being the best-known date and the first of the two, is the one chosen by most companies to launch their offers en masse. That day, you can find discounts on all types of articles in offline stores and online stores. Black Friday also happens to be the day when most tech products go up for sale. You can check out our guide with the best early tech deals and other top deals from Best Buy, Amazon, Apple, and Walmart. There used to be some companies, including Apple, who only participated during Black Friday. Nonetheless, today most businesses run a multi-day sales campaign that runs from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
You have to bear in mind that the products with the best prices fly off the (digital) shelves, so if you're not fast enough you could be left empty-handed: there are thousands of people waiting to buy the same as you!
As for Cyber Monday, it's the favorite day for many companies to get rid of all the stock they haven't already managed to sell. For this reason, reductions can be even greater than on Black Friday! We recommend that you choose this day to buy "whims", those products that you could buy only if you find an incredible offer. Also keep in mind that, paradoxically, Cyber Monday is the day when you can find the best discounts on non-technological products, such as clothes, shoes, or beauty products.