Cyber Monday - are the deals as good as Black Friday?
If you didn't manage to snap up every bargain you wanted on Black Friday, take heart - there are often much better discounts to be had today, on what's become known as Cyber Monday.
In the US, the Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally a day for shopping online, with customers too tired to make it out to the stores. But it's becoming more popular in the UK too, with British shoppers spending a record £968 million last year.
This year is set to be even bigger, as shoppers aim to snap up as many pre-Christmas bargains as they can, ahead of looming price rises from Brexit-related currency changes.
The best Cyber Monday deals revealed
"Cyber Monday has somewhat struggled to attract such a devoted level of attention amongst British shoppers that Black Friday has. What works very much in Cyber Monday's favour is that it is the last significant retail day before Christmas, in which people have the opportunity to pick up a heavily discounted bargain," says Dom Joseph, CEO and co-founder of advertising technology company Captify.
"This is a realisation that many consumers are waking up to, as it is becoming an increasingly popular day with UK shoppers as a record £968 million was spent last year, a significant increase on the £720 million recorded in 2014."
How to prepare for Cyber Monday
But are the deals any better than last Friday's - or have you missed the boat?
Many retailers make barely any distinction between the two, instead dubbing the whole long weekend 'Black Fiveday'. However, the deals won't necessarily stay the same for the whole period, and there are certain categories that tend to be better value today.
Online only stores
Online retailers such as Amazon and Etsy don't have real-world stores to tempt shoppers on Black Friday. And given Cyber Monday's history as a day for online shopping, it makes sense for them to ramp up their discounts to compete as much as possible. Amazon is probably the best example, with huge discounts all over the site: today's offers include the Kärcher K4 Premium Full Control Home Pressure Washer for £184.99 - 44% off the usual price. EBay, too, has a range of special Cyber Monday discounts, including the PS4 500GB Slim Console + Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare for £189.00 - around £40 less than the usual price.
Steer clear of fake shopping apps this Cyber Monday
Technology
Cyber Monday is not only a day for shopping using technology - it's a day for buying it too. And many retailers save their biggest tech bargains for today. Amazon, for example, is offering eye-popping discounts on many products, such as a 7 inch Fire tablet for under £30, and even has refurbished Apple Macbooks for under £250.
Meanwhile, Currys PC World is offering the Samsung UE49KS7000 Smart 4k Ultra HD HDR 49 inc LED TV for £799 today, down from £1,199.
Travel
For some reason, Cyber Monday has become a big day for travel discounts in the US, and the same is becoming true here too. Ryanair, for example, is offering up to 20% off more than 10 million flights to destinations across Europe.
Meanwhile, Travelzoo has a collection of holidays with savings of up to 56%, including a deluxe all-inclusive five-night trip to Marrakesh for under £200.
Less popular products
Black Friday tends to generate big headline-winning discounts on a comparatively small number of products. But when these fail to sell, the price can often drop even further after the weekend.
There's also a tendency for retailers to cut prices across the board on Cyber Monday, making it possible to pick up a discount on something that's simply didn't make the cut last week.
