Back in the dark ages, there was no Cyber Monday. Anyone who wanted to take advantage of Black Friday deals had to wake up at 3 a.m. and camp in front of the store until they opened their doors. And then they had to dodge the sharp elbows of their fellow shoppers as they rushed for the holy grail of sales — a limited discount while supplies last. Now things are completely different, and deal-hungry shoppers have it easy thanks to FinTech. They don’t even have to leave the comfort of their couch cushions to snag the biggest Thanksgiving weekend deals.
The frontline has moved from in-store to online:
E-commerce has totally changed the Thanksgiving weekend. In 2017, USA Today ran a story called, “Black Friday isn’t dead, but it’s dying”. This hyperbolic language doesn’t mean the tradition of shopping sales on the Friday following Thanksgiving is ending soon, but it is changing. Trends suggest it’s no longer just one day when shoppers can find discounted items, but an entire week—and sometimes even a full month.
A recent survey suggests how shoppers are snagging these deals are changing, too. According to Accenture’s Holiday Shopping Survey, 52 percent of respondents admitted they were less inclined to shop on Black Friday. While 64 percent of this group said it was because they didn’t want to brave the crowds, another 44 percent said they believed they could find the same sales, if not better, online.
Last year, e-commerce sales hit a new record. Shoppers spent $2.87 billion over the Thanksgiving weekend, rising nearly 20 percent from 2016 sales.
FinTech has simplified the payment process:
FinTech is a portmanteau combining the words Financial and Technology. It describes any data-driven process that facilitates financial services and products. FinTech is built into the foundations of the digital payment that e-commerce sites use on Cyber Monday, and the latest advancements have helped retailers create an easy online version of Black Friday, too.
An Adobe survey shows 46 percent of Thanksgiving shoppers are using their smartphones to research and claim deals. Another survey shows some consumers even use their phones to buy an item while in-store, and they use their mobile wallet to complete the transaction.
FinTech has streamlined the digital payment experience both online and in-store. It lets e-commerce sites facilitate fast and secure methods of online payments, while it powers physical POS that accept contactless payment methods like Google Pay or Apple Pay.
FinTech streamlines other aspects of holiday shopping:
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season—a time of year when people are expected to spend, spend, spend. The National Retail Federation estimates the average shopper will drop nearly $1,000 on gifts, decorations, and food. This figure doesn’t include the other holiday expenses, like drinks, travel, and winter bills and repairs. It’s easy to lose sight of your financial limits when you’re curating the best holiday season ever. Many shoppers end up draining their savings account to celebrate the festivities.
This puts your finances in a difficult position. If an unexpected bill (like penalties for using your cell phone while roaming) or repair (like fixing your broken furnace) comes along, your depleted savings won’t help. Luckily, FinTech offers an alternative way to cover responsibilities by facilitating easy online payday loans. Their online service makes it possible for companies like GoDay to process applications in five minutes and issue payday loans in just one hour after approval. They’re even a potential cash flow solution for those shoppers living outside of the US.
In the past, Black Friday was a location-specific sale. Now, e-commerce catapults the Thanksgiving weekend sales into a global market. International shoppers living in Canada can access cyber deals as easily as their American counterparts, meaning they might accidentally overspend like their neighbors, too. That’s why the best payday loans Canada has to offer involves the same fast online processes as other FinTech borrowing experiences.
The online borrowing experience is simple—as is the week-long Cyber Monday event. And it’s all thanks to FinTech. FinTech makes it easier than ever to shop the biggest sales without ever leaving your house. As long as you have a device that connects to the Internet, you have access to any online Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale.
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