Cyber Monday is hands down the biggest online shopping holiday of the year. I’m the last person you’ll find among Black Friday chaos because I’ve learned you can get almost as good of deals, if not better in some cases, online.

While I’m not the expert for all-things Cyber Monday, here are some of my personal rules of thumb (hence the above pic) when it comes to an area I’ve grown to know very well - contemporary online boutiques (i.e. Shopbop, Revolve Clothing, Singer22, Manhattanite, Chick Downtown, etc.).

1. If there is a certain item you’re looking to purchase from an online boutique such as a pair of jeans or a holiday dress, conduct some standard online searches to see which shops come up in the results. Once you narrow it down, check coupon code resources like Grechen’s Codes (specific to online boutiques…love it) or Retail Me Not to see which sites have Cyber Monday promo codes to narrow it down even more. If there isn’t a certain item, start by finding which stores have Cyber Monday codes and browse around.
2. Cut the fat and make it easier on yourself - if they aren’t offering at least 25% off full-priced merchandise, keep on walking because someone else carrying the same brands probably has a better offer. Aim for 30% off if you can because those codes don’t come around very often, whereas 15-25% are standard promotions always in circulation. If you’re looking at a $200 pair of jeans with a 30% off code, you save $60!
3. Look to see which shops have free shipping in addition to the promotion code - this will help you maximize your savings.  
4. Review the “exclusions” before clicking purchase. Some shops won’t take returns on Cyber Monday purchases, which is completely unacceptable if you’re shopping for gifts and most clothing items (unless you are certain on size/fit).
5. What happens if the shop has the item, but is all out of your size? Don’t be afraid to ask another boutique with the item to match the price. You can even do this is person per my undercover Nordstrom price match experiment that some of you might recall (as shown below).
6. If you’re really geeky about getting the best price, check back after the holidays to see if the non-gift item(s) you purchased goes on sale. A lot of online boutiques have huge sales after Christmas and if they have good customer service policies in place, they’ll credit you the difference.

What happens if you miss Cyber Monday?

Don’t worry! There are still going to be plenty of deals leading into the holidays and you can easily snag a 20% off code for numerous online boutiques. They bank on the holidays to hit their numbers and a lot of boutiques have constant 20-25% codes in circulation throughout the month of December. Follow the same steps above with the expectation that the percentage discounts will be a little lower.

To learn more about my all-up strategy for Cyber Monday, check out my guide to Conquering Cyber Monday from last year, which hasn’t changed aside from the deals to scope out today.

Now for some of the goodies!

• Manhattanite is offering 30% orders all day today, November 30, with code: CYBER30. The offer expires at midnight EST and is not valid for pre-orders or Mackage purchases, but it’s good for everything else…even sale items! I suggest shopping by lifestyle to find gifts (mostly for women, but also has stuff for babies, pets and colleagues). I want to disclose that I write for the shop’s blog and work with the owner, Jeanette on a number of projects (so fun!).
• Boutique to You is also giving 30% off all day today with code: CYBER30. I’ve never bought anything there, so can’t vouch on that end, but they have a nice variety of clothing brands.
• Among mainstream retailers, save 20% on online purchases today only at Banana Republic, GAP, Piperlime and Old Navy with code: MONDAY.
• For beauty, Tarte is offering 40% off plus a free gift with purchases over $25 with code: CYBERMON9.
• Finally, Bloomingdale’s is giving $50 off purchases of $250 all day today. I didn’t see a code, so if you follow the link, it should be taken off your order at checkout.

Happy online shopping! 

Photo credits: Laura - Pixel Heart Photography via Flickr, Street Corner via Flickr

5 Responses to “Cyber Monday: Online Boutique Shopping”

Leave a Reply