What Is Cyber Monday And When Does It Start?

After the Black Friday madness ends and stores are short on product, many shoppers will turn to online shopping to continue deal hunting over the Thanksgiving weekend and into Cyber Monday. But those unfamiliar with the unofficial November holiday may ask: What is it? And when does it start?

Lines at malls and boutiques will be packed on Black Friday, and deal-seekers hoping to land huge savings can participate in Cyber Week, with online deals lasting five days.

This year, Cyber Week deals start as early as Nov. 26., with Cyber Monday officially kicking off Nov. 27. at 8 a.m. EST with new deals updating hourly until 8 p.m. EST. Shoppers can purchase items online or through an app on their smartphone.

It may be hard to believe, but Cyber Monday wasn’t always a thing. It started in 2005 to bolster online sales as an extension of the Black Friday weekend. It has since grown into something much bigger.

Cyber Monday is climbing in popularity and is becoming a larger holiday shopping event, according to Forbes. A 2017 survey by RetailMeNot reported that more than 56 percent of consumers said that they will purchase items on Cyber Monday this year, compared to 39 percent last year.

In 2016, Cyber Monday marked the biggest online sales date in history. According to CNBC, shoppers spent a record $3.39 billion online on Cyber Monday last year. Each year the number climbs, surpassing Black Friday online sales with a total of $3.34 billion.

Retail giants like Walmart plan to start online Black Friday sales at 12:01 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day — three hours earlier than last year.

"By tripling our online product assortment, we're able to offer a lot more new brands and choices to customers all season long," Steve Breen, senior vice president of merchandising for Walmart.com, said in a news release.

An estimated 137.4 million people plan to shop during the holiday weekend, CNBC reported. Even though Thanksgiving and Black Friday are projected to amass more digital sales this year, Cyber Monday is expected to the biggest sales day of the year with $6.6 billion in sales — a 16.5 percent increase from 2016.