If you noticed a lot more coupons in your inbox yesterday, you're not alone. Forty-two percent of etailers had some kind of online promotion from discounts to free shipping, according to the National Retail Foundation's annual survey.

Many retailers are finding that Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and known as the biggest shopping day of the year, doesn't have to end.

etailers like eBay and Shopping.com are saying that more consumers are cruising websites over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, and waiting to buy on Cyber Monday.

Internet research firm comScore Inc. says online sales may exceed $700 million online on Monday, the biggest shopping day on record. Total online holiday sales are expected to leap 20 percent, to more than $39 billion, over last year, says JupiterResearch.

Don't get frustrated if you were one of hundreds of thousands of shoppers who shopped on Friday, only to find out that what you bought is 25 percent cheaper. Most retailers are willing to make adjustments. The point is that retailers are offering big incentives to get you to come in the stores or to shop online.

Now, what does all this have to do with real estate? Well, nothing really, except that online behavior foreshadows future results. Consumers may be feeling more confident, and willing to buy bigger ticket items. For example, traffic to electronic sites increased 235 percent on Friday. Buyers could be getting mentally ready to spend on homes.

We already know that sites like Realtor.com have about 4 million unique visitors a month. If their traffic increases in December and January, it could be a harbinger of bigger housing sales for spring.

Published: November 27, 2007

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