WASHINGTON, DC, Dec 18, 2006/ --- Note to procrastinators: It’s not too late to use the Internet to finish your holiday shopping. This year, a number of well-known retailers are giving shoppers the ability to buy merchandise online then head to the store, where the item will be waiting for pick-up.

According to the National Retail Federation, 13.6 million consumers will try to beat the crowds by buying online and picking up items in a retail store this holiday season. A list of retailers offering the “buy online, pick up in-store” option is posted at www.cybermonday.com, a website launched earlier this holiday season by NRF division Shop.org and powered by Mall Networks.

“By purchasing items online and picking them up in a retail store, holiday procrastinators are able to partner convenience with instant gratification,” said Shop.org Executive Director Scott Silverman. “Up until Christmas Eve, shoppers will be browsing and buying from the comfort of their home before getting in their car to pick up the perfect gift. The only potential glitch is that they will still have to find parking.”

Offering a “buy online, pick up in-store” feature not only adds convenience to the customer, it also makes business sense for retailers. According to the 2006 State of Retailing Online, an annual Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research, online retailers with a “buy online, pick up in-store” feature say that an average of one third of orders (31%) placed on their websites are picked up in the store. Additionally, according to the report, more than one-fourth of those shoppers (27%) make additional in-store purchases, which boosts overall sales.

--Gift Card Section Added to CyberMonday.com--

In addition to providing a list of retailers that offer a “buy online, pick up in-store” feature, CyberMonday.com also features a gift card section, where more than 30 retailers offer links for quick purchase of gift cards and e-certificates. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers will spend an estimated $24.8 billion on gift cards this holiday season.

comScore Media Metrix, a Reston, Va.-based company that tracks Internet activity, has reported that CyberMonday.com had 505,000 unique U.S. visitors in the month of November, an especially impressive amount considering that the site did not launch until November 20.

CyberMonday.com was launched to raise money for a scholarship fund in memory of former Shop.org Vice President Ray Greenly. When shoppers make a purchase through the website, retailers provide a percentage of that sale to Shop.org. To date, more than $95,000 has been raised for the Ray M. Greenly Scholarship Fund, which helps students pursuing careers in eCommerce.

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