For any ecommerce merchant, the Monday after Black Friday, also known as Cyber Monday, is the most significant sales day of the year. In 2012, it generated $1.46 billion and set a record as the heaviest online spending day ever, according to comScore. This was a 17 percent increase from Cyber Monday sales in 2011, and as smartphone and tablet adoption rises, trends suggest that 2013 will also experience considerable Internet-based sales growth. 

An early jump on Cyber Monday
Merchants should ensure that their ecommerce software is up to the task of handling the substantial volume of visitors expected on Cyber Monday, but they should also realize that other retailers are trying to boost their online revenue before the sales date. After all, Cyber Monday won't occur until December 2 this year. The holiday shopping season has been cut short and Target already ran a Cyber Monday sale in September, Daily Finance reported. The source highlighted that many of its deals fell well short of the savings that should be expected on the real date, but this suggests that some businesses are trying to stretch out the otherwise brief purchasing period. 

Along with Target, Daily Finance noted that Sephora, Toys R Us and Pottery Barn were also offering holiday promotions in September. However, Jon Lal, founder of BeFrugal.com, felt that early promotions make sense for retailers, but not consumers. 

"But from a consumer's point of view, it's important that you have a plan for what you're going to do around holiday shopping," Lal told the source, "and when you start shopping early, it's a little harder to stick to a plan and keep track of what you've spent."

Potential November-wide sales increase
Another factor to consider is that Hannukah occurs before Thanksgiving this year, which could lead to a sales bump before Black Friday. This could add to the sales intensity that happens all month long. ComScore found that online sales throughout November rose 15 percent between 2011 and 2012, with a 28 percent increase on Black Friday and 32 percent jump on Thanksgiving. The shortened holiday sales season may result in a more compressed shopping season, or purchases may be more spread throughout the time leading up to it. Merchants should prepare their staff and point of sale software in either case, to ensure a good customer experience and steady flow of products to shelves.