Whilst Black Friday is the shopping event of the year, eager shoppers mustn't forget about its cousin Cyber Monday. Though the annual online savings day is technically at the end of the month, many retailers treat shoppers to the whole of November for bargains and discounts. And for those already looking ahead to Christmas, a bundle of online deals means you can start saving well ahead of the big day.

What began as an online equivalent to the bricks-and-mortar shop discounts of Black Friday, Cyber Monday has since grown to become one of the biggest annual sales events worldwide, raking in an estimated £3billion from Britons' online purchases last year alone, with roughly half of the UK population making a purchase during the 2019 sale, spending an average of £129 each. This year is no exception. All of the big name retailers, from Amazon to Argos and Boots to John Lewis, will be offering discounts that cannot be missed.

It’s certainly a sale worth waiting for, and it's easy to make the most of it if you know what to buy, where to look and how to secure the best price possible. We've done the hard work for you, here’s everything you need to know.

When is Cyber Monday 2020 in the UK?

Cyber Monday is always the first Monday after Black Friday, and this year it will take place on the November 30. The event is happening earlier than last year’s date, which actually fell in December.

Every year the best Cyber Monday deals rival the discounts on offer for Black Friday, making it the biggest shopping day of the year. Although it may technically take place on November 30, many retailers routinely launch deals a few hours or even days prior to the event.

How did Cyber Monday start?

Like Black Friday, Cyber Monday is an American import. In the United States, Cyber Monday is the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, and typically falls between the end of November and the beginning of December, depending on the year. It started in 2005 when the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, noticed an uptick in online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving as it seemed that shoppers, not content with the splurges made on Black Friday, were still flocking to retailer’s websites to splash even more cash.

To capitalise on this, the website CyberMonday.com was launched, dedicated to collecting information about the various online discounts on offer. The idea of the website was to encourage people to spend with online retailers, back when online shopping was not as easy or as popular as it is today. Online retailers who had seen the success of Black Friday sought a pre-Christmas sales period of their own and also hoped that Cyber Monday would allow smaller retailers to compete with larger chains.

Who coined the name Cyber Monday?

It was coined by members of Shop.org, part of the National Retail Federation, including Ellen Davis, who worked in public relations, Ray Greenly, who was the vice president of research and member services and Shop.org’s then-executive director Scott Silverman. The moniker was introduced to the world via a press release, the media caught on and the rest, as they say, is history.

When did Cyber Monday come to the UK?

The first Cyber Monday in the UK was in 2010, but it didn’t really catch on until three years later, when Asda, owned by American retail behemoth Walmart, made national headlines with their incredible discounts. The following year, a host of other big retailers joined in and since then it’s become the norm for shops to offer Cyber Monday deals.

Where can I find the best Cyber Monday deals?

Amazon, Argos, Currys, Very.co.uk, Debenhams, John Lewis and AO.com are just some of the retailers to have fantastic discounts on a range of products - be sure to bookmark them in preparation. Other websites to note for Cyber Monday are Bose for premium audio products, Le Creuset for luxe cookware for less, Simba for mattress offers and Nike for discounted trainers.

How can I find the best deals this week?

As with all discount days, doing your research and knowing what you’re looking to purchase can save a lot of time. Then it’s just a case of regularly checking key retailers for the best price on offer. If you're not already following those retailer's social media accounts or have signed up to their newsletters, it's worth doing so now. They're often the first place you'll find out about flash sales or upcoming discounts.

Whether you have something in particular in mind to buy, or simply want inspiration, keep an eye on our Cyber Monday channel, where our team will be compiling the latest and greatest deals for 2020 on everything from tech to beauty.