More retailers, shoppers buy into Cyber Monday

Worker productivity could take a dip tomorrow in the Northeast.

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday - a phrase coined by the retail industry in 2005 for what’s hyped as Black Friday’s online equivalent - and the region is tops in the United States when it comes to those planning to use their work computers for holiday shopping.

More than 56 percent of Northeast workers with on-the-job Internet access plan to shop online for gifts this year, according to a National Retail Federation survey.

Nationally, the number of people who plan to shop during work is expected to hit 68.8 million, down from 72.8 million last year,perhaps a sign of the economic times and job losses and worries.

But more retailers are buying into Cyber Monday this year, with 87.7 percent saying they’ll offer a special promotion, up from 83.7 percent last year.

The NRF launched CyberMonday.com in 2006 to aggregate retailers’ online deals. Run by Lexington-based Mall Networks Inc., it will include promotions from more than 700 retailers this year.

From midnight to 11:59 p.m., retailers including American Eagle Outfitters, the Body Shop and RedEnvelope will offer a “feature deal of the hour” on the site, with free shipping, dollars or percentages off purchases, and free gifts with purchases.

Shoppers can get mobile alerts of the hourly deals courtesy of SoundBite Communications Inc. The Bedford firm will send text messages to mobile phones of shoppers who text CYBERMONDAY to 77053 or opt in at CyberMonday.com.

For employers looking to crack down on workers shopping on the boss’ dime, the NRF survey reveals the likely culprits. More men than women plan to shop from work - 56.3 percent versus 50.8 percent - along with almost 74 percent of employees ages 18-24.

But Phil Rist, an executive vice president of BIGResearch, which conducted the NRF survey, had an interesting spin for employers to consider.

“Employees who spend 10 minutes at the office completing their holiday shopping online are likely to be much more efficient than those who use extended lunch breaks waiting in line at the store and fighting holiday traffic on the way back to work,” he said in a statement.

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