Nervous E-tailers Offer Steep Discounts

Online retailers are trying to offset expected consumer spending declines with promotions and other incentives, reports The Associated Press.

Stores ranging from Toys 'R' Us to Target to Overstock.com will be trying to lure shoppers with sale items or offers of free shipping today, dubbed Cyber Monday because a high number of people are expected to polish off their holiday discount shopping from their cubicles.

One thing making businesses eager to try new hooks is the slowing growth of new online shoppers, occurring as the market matures.

According to the National Retail Foundation, 72 percent of e-commerce retailers will have some sort of promotion in place. That's up from 42 percent just two years ago.

Nielsen forecasts people are planning on spending the same percentage of their holiday budget online as they did last year. That plays into expectations that the overall shopping picture will be down slightly, flat, or only modestly growing.

Many retailers also ran online sales and promotions both on Thanksgiving Day itself, concurrent with Black Friday, when most attention was paid to brick-and-mortar shops.

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