Every family has that one member who waits until the absolute last second to get their holiday shopping done, and while a decade ago there weren’t many opportunities for deals after Black Friday and Cyber Monday passed by, the diffusion of online deals in 2015 means even Christmas procrastinators can find steals well into the holiday shopping season.
That’s where Green Monday comes in. Called “the poor man’s Cyber Monday” by MarketWatch, the second Monday in December has come to represent yet another marquee holiday shopping day, rivaled only by spending figures from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. According to data from comScore, 2014’s iteration of Green Monday netted retailers a combined $1.4 billion, as shoppers rushed to place orders in time for Christmas Eve delivery dates. That figure represented a 10 percent year-to-year spike, which has comScore calling for Green Monday sales to rank as the third-highest grossing day of this holiday shopping season.
“Thanksgiving kicked off the heavy online spending period with nine consecutive days surpassing the $1 billion milestone on desktop,” Gian Fulgoni, chairman emeritus at comScore, said in a statement. “While the current week is experiencing a predictable mid-season lull in growth rates, we believe that next week — which is bookended with Green Monday and Free Shipping Day — should see a flurry of late-season activity online that will help make up a lot of ground for the season.”
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday have more established traditions in the minds of consumers, CNET explained that Green Monday most likely comes from a 2007 campaign from eBay to drum up sales late in the holiday shopping season. While some may think the name encourages shoppers to buy from eco-friendly brands, it’s more likely that consumers’ procrastinating attitudes simply drive more sales as time runs out to fill out Christmas lists.
