• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, December 3, 2019

Cyber Monday is over, having racked up $9.4 billion in online sales, according to a Tuesday report by Adobe. But the discount season continues, with email driving consumers toward “Last Chance Deals,” judging by a new report from SubjectLine.com.

A full 84% of shoppers look to their emails for holiday bargains.

What’s more, 64% are more likely to open brand emails during the holidays. And 58% say they are more likely to buy from brands that offer relevant deals or coupons via email.

But emails have to be focused — 56% of shoppers are more likely to open an email featuring a sale or coupon for a single item as opposed to one featuring multiple offers. And 50% will stick with brands that offer relevant single-product offers. 

“Focus is of the utmost importance. For B2C marketers, focus on what you want consumers to react to the most, make sure call to actions and offers are clear in marketing assets. B2B marketers can also capitalize on captive audiences during the holidays.”

Consumers are also drawn to holiday-themed items and décor (43%) and gift ideas/inspiration (39%).

SubjectLine.com surveyed over 1,000 U.S. consumers,

Meanwhile, Adobe reports that Cyber Monday sales ran 19.7% over the total last year, making it the biggest online shopping day of all time.

Mobile purchases accounted for $3.1 billion of all online sales during the day. Cyber Monday shopping carts were 6% higher than carts at other times of the year. 

From Nov. 1, $81.5 billion has been spent online, versus $71.5 billion during the same period last year.

The best Cyber Monday discounts were on computers (18%), televisions (19%) and toys (17%).

Despite heavy discounts, average order values went up, Adobe adds.

Adobe is forecasting an online Giving Tuesday spend of $3.6 billion -- a 19.4% increase over last year.