Why You Need to Make Your Cyber Monday Plan NOW!

Ah, holiday shopping in your pajamas and slippers--that's one big plus to Cyber Monday--especially since the National Retail Federation says last year 134 million people swarmed into malls and stores across the country. But how can you duke it out with other shoppers for the best virtual deals? We polled industry insiders on their secrets on how to shop on the 'online cheap' and how to stay safe from online tricksters, who may only be trying to shop for your identity!
Related: Shopping for a Sitter on Black Friday

Navigating Online Flash Sale Sites:
Jeremy Kugel who founded jasmere.com says don’t wait until the last minute- many of the group buying sites are dependent on how many people buy the deal, while other flash sale sites are likely to sell out of the most popular items within minutes. If you see something that you love, buy it- or risk it selling out!

Create a gmail or hotmail account like [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], then sign up for all the sale alerts under that address. Check it just once a day, at the same time (lunch is when many of these alerts come out). You'll have the whole day's worth of sales in one spot, so you can comparison shop and choose what (if anything) is best for you.
Be sure to check the site’s shipping policy- sites vary between 2 days and up to 3 weeks- so if you need the item for a gift, be sure to check in advance that it will arrive on time.
On jasmere.com, the more people that shop, the LOWER the price goes! The featured deal of the day is introduced daily at 12:00pm ET and consumers have 24 hours to drive the already discounted price even lower, resulting in up to 80% off the suggested retail price of a product. No one is charged until the end of the 24 hour period- so the idea is to get as many people purchasing the product as possible to keep driving the price even lower. The sale will happen no matter what, but the final price is up to the consumer.


Social Shopping Networks:
Everything else on the Web is becoming social--why not shopping? Giftmeister.com just launched a free first-of-its-kind social shopping network, which enables shoppers to find, buy and gift hundreds of thousands of electronic products no matter where they are: On the Internet, via mobile on iPhone, Android, or on social networks such as Facebook, etc. It includes 225,000 products across all major consumer electronic categories, and helps shoppers make the holiday shopping experience extremely simple, informative and fun by combining all the key information customers seek into a single, easy-to-use interface.

Get It For Less:
Mir Kamin, from Savings.com and founder of WantNot.net says:


Do Your Research: What are you hoping to buy? Who's likely to have it in stock and on special? Have any pertinent Cyber Monday ads been leaked ahead of time? Know which stores will have doorbusters online and what time(s) those will be released. Amazon will have tons of Lightning Deals, and other stores have taken to the "special" timed savings as well (last year 6pm, Lands' End and Overstock all did those, for example). West-coast-based stores will release specials later than east-coast-based ones, etc. Also know which stores allow free returns (so you can buy a couple of sizes...) or are local, for returns.
Shop The Day Before: Many sites allow you to sign in and load up your cart, where contents will be saved until your next sign in. This is particularly useful on high volume shopping days when items are apt to sell out quickly. If there are items you know you'll want (or even ones you're deliberating on, but where you'll need to pick out a size/color), have those in your cart before the big day. If it's a site which will not save your items, make yourself a file or a spreadsheet of item numbers so you can access them quickly once it's go time.
Have Tools at the Ready: Have a registered account on any site you plan to shop. Turn on 1-click ordering on sites like Amazon. Bookmark the sites you know will be posting deals and coupon codes throughout the day. Know how much you have to spend and keep track as you go.
Get Connected: Special savings for Facebook Fans and Twitter followers are likely to be huge this year. And if you have a favorite bargain blogger (I could suggest a few...) they're likely tweeting and Facebooking throughout the day as well. (So if you're not already using a Twitter client that automatically updates, now is an excellent time to set one up, before the big day.)
Stack the Savings: The various Cyber Monday Savings can often be combined with other existing offers. Do you have a credit card that offers redemption rewards? I buy ecerts from Discover all the time, plus sometimes I get a larger cashback bonus for shopping through their portal. Amazon will often offer a Lightning Deal on something where there was already a coupon available, etc.


Source : by GALTime.com