How are you doing with your holiday shopping? I’ve started to make a dent, but I still have a long way to go. Good thing it’s still early in the month!

I went a little crazy on Cyber Monday – ok, let’s be honest, I’m still going crazy with buying things online. You can’t really beat the convenience!

A lot of people feel the same: According to a report from Adobe Insights, Cyber Monday purchases reached a record $6.59 billion, which is a 16.8% increase from last year. This makes it the largest online shopping day in U.S. history, according to Adobe Insights.

Also, more and more consumers are using their mobile devices to make purchases; according to Adobe Insights, mobile sales on Cyber Monday reached $2 billion for the first time.

From Nov. 1 through Nov. 27, $50 billion has been spent online thus far, which puts online sales on track to reach $100 billion by the end of the year, Adobe reported.

FYI: Adobe Insights measures 80% of online transactions from 100 major U.S. retailers.

I know we recently discussed how to record your online purchases a few weeks ago, but I just wanted to review some things that will help us make better use of the data you provide.

Please note: Panelists should be receiving similar information via email. In case you miss it – or just prefer reading this blog (yeah!), here’s the info.

Multiple Shipments
Sometimes online purchases come in one or multiple shipments and don’t always include a packing receipt.

  • Consider printing out your email/order confirmation so you can refer back to it for each item’s price when reporting them.
  • If your items do come separately, please scan the purchases as you receive them.

Covered UPC Barcode
If an item arrives with the UPC barcode covered by another label …

  • Try carefully peeling off that label and scanning the UPC barcode on the item.
  • If the UPC barcode is damaged, manually type the barcode number in to the scanner or the NCPMobile App, depending on what you use.

Online Or “On Line”?
If you buy something from the website of a retailer that also has a storefront …

  • Report the trip as an online purchase, and not using the retailer’s “storefront” Store Name. For example, if you order something from Target’s website, select “target.com” when you record the purchase (whether the item was shipped directly to you or you picked it up at the store).

Store Names And Store Type
When recording any shopping trip, be careful to choose the correct Store Name.

  • If the name of the store you shopped at is not on your store list, select the appropriate Store Type. For example, if you shopped at a local drug store that is not on your store list, just select the “Drug Stores” store type to record the purchase.

Thank you for your cooperation.

I hope you have a very pleasant shopping experience, whether it be online or “on a line.” Have a great day!