Happy birthday, Cyber Monday!
2025 marks 20 years since the start of the online answer to Black Friday.
Cyber Monday’s origins were very much of its time. By the mid-2000s, ecommerce was becoming normalized, but it looked a lot different than it does today.
Something easily forgotten in the era of the TikTok Shop is that back then, smartphones weren’t a thing yet, and online shopping usually happened on a desktop computer. Also, not everyone had a home computer, and around 40% of Americans who did still had a slow dialup connection. At the same time, fast internet had become common at work.
So when office workers returned to their desks the Monday after Thanksgiving, they took advantage of broadband access to make online holiday purchases.
In 2005, the term Cyber Monday was coined by the National Retail Federation. It worked.
The pattern did not go unnoticed by the retail industry: In 2005, the term Cyber Monday was coined by the National Retail Federation as an online version of Black Friday.
Speaking of, Black Friday got its name in Philadelphia in the 1960s. It originally referred to the crowds, traffic and the fact that it was a day when no one wanted to work. By Y2K, its “doorbuster” sales had become chaotic, and even at times violent. That chaos escalated as the Great Recession took hold. A 2008 stampede at a Long Island Walmart killed a seasonal worker, marking the first (but not last) Black Friday fatality on record. Cyber Monday, meanwhile, allowed shoppers to hit the holiday sales from the comfort and safety of their desks.
While Black Friday itself has become an extended ecommerce “holiday,” Cyber Monday remains a popular sale day around the world, even as smartphones replaced office computers for online shopping.
In honor of Cyber Monday’s big 2-0, here is a timeline of its evolution.
2005: The name is born
Shop.org, part of the National Retail Federation, coins the term “Cyber Monday” after noticing a spike in online shopping the Monday after Thanksgiving.
The press release declares it “one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.”
2006–2007: Early adoption
More retailers sign on with Monday-only online promotions. In 2006, Cyber Monday sales totaled $608 million, up 26% versus 2005.
Though online shopping is still a fraction of holiday sales, the day becomes a marketing hook.
2008: The recession pushes online deals
The financial crisis drives bargain-hunting, giving Cyber Monday an early boost as consumers shopped more strategically.
Cyber Monday sees $846 million in online spending in 2008, up 15%.
2010: Cyber Monday passes $1 billion
US shoppers spend over $1 billion online in a single day for the first time.
Analysts begin calling it the “heaviest online shopping day in US history.”
2012–2013: The rise of mobile shopping
Smartphones and tablets shift shopping behavior.
“Couch commerce” becomes a trend, with shoppers using smartphones and tablets for every part of the shopping process, including research and reviewing.
2014–2015: Cyber Monday becomes global
The concept expands to the UK, Canada, Germany and parts of Asia.
International retailers mirror US promotional tactics, creating localized versions of the holiday.
2016–2018: Part of an extended weekend
“Cyber Week” promotions begin, and Amazon dubs Thanksgiving weekend “The Turkey Five.”
The lines blur: Black Friday deals go online, and Cyber Monday deals start early.
2020: The pandemic accelerates e-commerce
Lockdowns lead to explosive growth in online shopping.
Cyber Monday 2020 becomes the largest US online shopping day ever at $10.8 billion.
2021–2023: Changing consumer behavior
Inflation and supply-chain challenges shift shopping earlier in November.
Cyber Monday remains huge, but the distinction between days becomes more symbolic than behavioral.
2024: AI agents take over
AI agents handle more than a third of all customer inquiries during Cyber Week, as interactions with AI agents jump 85%, pushing the week’s e-commerce revenue to $41 billion
2025: The 20th anniversary
Two decades after its launch, Cyber Monday is fully embedded as part of the post-Thanksgiving shopping tradition, including on popular social platforms like TikTok.
The National Federation of Retailers forecasts another record number of shoppers over the Turkey Five sales window.
