Retail sales continues: Ten of the best Cyber Monday deals

One of the biggest online shopping days of the year has begun with retailers continuing to cut prices for Cyber Monday. Photo / 123RF

Kiwi retailers and shoppers are embracing the US sales season with a growing interest in Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The traditionally US sales days are the day after Thanksgiving and the following Monday, with the weekend seen as the start of the Christmas shopping season.

The event has been a staple in the US shopping calendar for years but Retail NZ general manager of public affairs Greg Harford said it was a growing phenomenon in New Zealand.

"Anecdotally, Black Friday has been pretty successful this year," Harford said. "Consumers have been out hitting the shops and the websites to take advantage of the shopping opportunities."

"There seems to be more Cyber Monday advertising floating around as well and there's been more discussion about it this year than last year, so that has started to build as well," he said.

While Black Friday sees retailers cutting prices on products, Cyber Monday encourages shoppers to buy online with a number of retailers offering free shipping with sales.

This year the likes of The Warehouse, online store Mighty Ape and Air New Zealand have all participated in the traditionally US holiday.

"As a nation we love online shopping," Harford said. "Kiwis spend around $3.4 billion a year online shopping and that's growing."

The Warehouse which also runs Red Friday, it's version of Black Friday, has offered sales across most of its stock for Cyber Monday. Fishing and camping gear, toys, homeware and accessories were all on sale with up to 60 per cent off in some cases.

Air New Zealand has also joined in with Cyber Monday, but only through its UK site. The airline was offering 100 return economy seats to Los Angeles from London for £199 but was not offering deals through its New Zealand site.

In the US, retailers have been making the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, often starting sales up to several weeks before the day.

In New Zealand, Harvey Norman and Noel Leeming have adopted the same approach, extending Black Friday sales through to Monday rather than launching Cyber Monday sales.

"It's interesting the way the shopping tradition is evolving here," Harford said. "In the US you typically have Black Friday and then Cyber Monday and both are distinct days whereas here, many retailers have extended their Black Friday sale over the weekend."

New Zealand also has Click Monday, its version of the online shopping day which happens twice a year, but Harford said Cyber Monday looked set to continue to grow.

"That's our indigenous sales opportunity," Harford said. "It's really interesting that Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are becoming extremely entrenched in the shopping psyche of New Zealanders."

According to The National Retail Federation in the US, sales in the last two months of this year are likely to hit US$936.7 billion, which is a 3.6 per cent increase over the same period in 2015. More than US$3 billion was spent on Cyber Monday in the US last year.

Our top ten picks for Cyber Monday
•The Warehouse - 6 person navigator South Puhoi tent $274 (save $275)
•The Warehouse - Pioneer boat spin combo fishing rod $52.50 ($22.50)
•The Warehouse - little tikes cozy truck $149.00 (save $100)
•Mighty Ape - ASUS ViVo Book 15.6" laptop $659 (save $340.99)
•Mighty Ape - Xbox 360 500GB forza horizon and All Blacks bundle $198 (save $131)
•Mighty Ape - Monster Adidas originals over-ear headphones $228 (save $271)
•Mighty Ape - X rocker: pro pedestal plus wireless 2.1 gaming chair $499 (save $249)
•Harvey Norman - Panasonic 49" 4K ultra HD smart LED-LCD TV $1,085 (save $467)
•Harvey Norman - Sony high power home audio system $245 (save $105)
•Harvey Norman - Belling 112L bar fridge $298 (save $213)