The biggest shopping weekend of the year is fast approaching. Last year more than 151 million people shopped during the three-day weekend of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.
If you plan to head out to the stores or shop online this holiday season, Better Business Bureau’s Holiday Helper Guide (bbb.org/holidayhelper) offers the following information and tips for each shopping day.
Black Friday
Black Friday is considered the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season. Shopping at brick-and-mortar stores is still very popular, but it’s important to note 82% of shoppers will consult their phones while in a store to look up reviews on products and compare prices from other stores.
Shopping Tips:
- Wi-Fi: It’s alright to look up reviews using public Wi-Fi, however, avoid logging on to your bank account or any other sites with sensitive personal information.
- Gift Receipts and Warranty Information: Ask for a gift receipt so that the recipient can easily return the gift if it’s not quite the right size or style. Be sure to share any information about returns, exchanges, repairs, and warranties to the person who will use the item.
Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday first began in 2010 and was launched by American Express. The goal was to encourage shoppers to support small, local businesses. Local business shoppers surveyed said the two biggest reasons for shopping small are to support the local economy and for the opportunity to buy one-of-a-kind gifts.
Shopping Tips:
- Social Media: Small businesses recognize the power of social media. To get the latest news, sales and promotions, follow them on social media.
- Reviews: 45% of shoppers use social media to read reviews for products/stores. Be sure to share the experience you had shopping local by giving the business a review.
Cyber Monday
In 2015 online shoppers spent nearly $3 billion during Cyber Monday and visited more than 4,500 retail websites and accounted for nearly 40% of all holiday shopping. In addition, 27% of all online sales were purchased through a mobile device.
Shopping Tips:
- Mobile Security: Since many shoppers use their mobile device to research and make purchases, it’s important that it is secure. Be sure you are using the most recent updated version of apps and your operating system on the phone.
- HTTP and HTTPS: As you shop online, before you send any personal, sensitive information, such as your credit card, make sure the website has “https://” at the beginning of its web address. The “S” at the end indicates that the website is secure.
Start With Trust®. For more tips and information on holiday shopping, visit bbb.org/holidayhelper.