Grocers offer Cyber Monday, Cyber Week deals

Online shopping got off to a strong start this holiday season, with record ecommerce sales over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to reports.

Ecommerce sales totaled $9.12 billion on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, up 2.3% over year-ago sales and up about 1% over the previous record of $9.03 billion set in 2020.

The research firm forecasted that Cyber Monday would be the year’s biggest online shopping day, estimating a sales increase of 5.1% over last year, or about $11.2 billion.

Several supermarket operators are trying to capture some of that online spending, positioning themselves as online gift-giving destinations. Social media posts on Monday showed grocery retailers promoting special offers on a variety of products, including gift certificates and other holiday goods.

Plum Market, the rapidly expanding chain based in Farmington Hills, Mich., for example, had a one-day Cyber Monday sale offering a $15 coupon free with every purchase of a $100 gift card purchased online. The cards, however, carry a $14.95 service charge per order, and can only be redeemed in-store.

Dierbergs Markets in St. Louis also offered a one-day-only Cyber Monday deal, offering $5 off all online party tray orders of $15 or more.

Dorothy Lane Market, meanwhile, offered an online exclusive on its famous Killer Brownies for Cyber Monday. The Dayton, Ohio-based retailer offered 20% off its Killer Brownie Best Sellers Gift Tins, via its DLM Mail Order service. The 4-count tins include one each of the retailer’s brownies, including The Original, Salted Caramel, Cookie Dough, and Peanut Butter.

Norwalk, Conn.-based Stew Leonard’s was offering up to $35% off orders of its gift baskets for a Cyber Week sale that ended on Cyber Monday. The deal included several choices of food gift baskets, and buckets of brownies or popcorn. The offer included 10% off orders of $100 or more, 20% off orders of $200 or more, and 35% off orders of $300 or more.

Smart & Final, the warehouse-style grocery retailer based in Commerce, Calif., used Cyber Monday to call attention to its delivery capabilities for the holiday season.

“Cyber Monday is here, and we've got all the snacks, like chips and cheese snacks, that you can easily eat with one hard while you shop with the other,” the company said in a Twitter post. “Order now for delivery!”