LONDON, November 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The countdown to Christmas officially begins online on Cyber Monday, 26^th November with record-breaking sales on ambience lighting, space saving furniture and baking equipment expected between 4-5PM on Wayfair.co.uk

Wayfair.co.uk, a UK online retailer of everything for the  home has today announced its sales predictions for Cyber Monday, the web's biggest shopping day which falls globally on Monday 26^th November. Peak shopping time on the site is expected to be between 4-5PM, with a fairly equal consumer gender split - 52% females v 48% males buying items for the home.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121105/573305 )

With Christmas being the perfect time for entertaining friends and hosting family-get-togethers, Wayfair.co.uk expects high demands for the second-year running on its ambience lighting products with the addition of space saving furniture and baking equipment. It expects this year's top five selling products will be:

1. Home Essence Mother and Child Floor Lamp
2. Astro Lighting Amalfi Wall Light
3. Home Essence Boston Stowaway 4 stool dining set
4. Home Essence Stanley Butterfly 4 Chair Dining Set
5. KitchenCraft Cast Iron Steel Baking stone

While Cyber Monday has traditionally been regarded as a US commercial tactic along with Black Friday, following Thanksgiving, it has today developed into a worldwide online retail phenomenon, particularly in the UK. Wayfair.co.uk experienced its biggest ever sales peak last year on Cyber Monday, 28^th November 2011 at 4.30PM.

"Last year we saw a major sales peak on Cyber Monday which despite it not being a major day on the British retail calendar, it has today become our biggest trading day of the year. We're gearing ourselves up for it again by offering mass discounts and free delivery on thousands of homeware items and furniture," commented Joel Stevenson, UK Managing Director, Wayfair.co.uk. "We're expecting significant sales peaks particularly on ambience lighting, space saving furniture which makes perfect sense being practical homeware items for hosting sociable yet intimate get-togethers over the holiday season. We've seen however a growing demand in baking products throughout the year, with the Cast Iron Baking Stone being one of the most popular items of 2012."

In 2011, Wayfair.co.uk saw an impressive peak in sales for two particular ambience lighting products being the Rome Floor Lamp in Satin Chrome, and Dar Lighting Boda One Light Pendant in Satin Chrome, followed by the Cordless Hot Tray in brushed steel, emphasising last year's demands for chrome and steel finished home items.

A recent survey conducted by Wayfair US, showed over three quarters (77%) of its online shoppers are planning to shop exclusively online on Black Friday, traditionally a bricks and mortar only shopping spree. The emphatic and continual shift in consumer behaviour towards online purchasing signals an all-time high for e-commerce, with forecasts of more than £60 billion worth of gross online sales expected to be made within the seasonal Thanksgiving period, in the US alone. Wayfair US has increased the number of products available on its site by 500% along with staff numbers, has shortened delivery times and opened two new warehouses on both coasts, ready to meet its up-coming high seasonal demands.

Cyber Monday signifies the start of the Christmas shopping period when Britons are gearing themselves up for major bargain-hunting. With the UK economy in the midst of depression, finding the most competitive deals on the marketplace coupled with free delivery options are now vital considerations for UK shoppers.

Notes to editors:

The items listed in the press release have been discounted and can be found on Wayfair.co.uk:

1. Home Essence Mother and Child Floor Lamp, £39.99 - includes 55% discount plus free delivery
2. Astro Lighting Amalfi Wall Light, £29.52 - includes 17% discount plus free delivery
3. Home Essence Boston Stowaway 4 stool dining set, £176.99 - includes 29% discount plus free delivery
4. Home Essence Stanley Butterfly 4 Chair Dining Set, £112.99 - includes 51% discount plus free delivery
5. KitchenCraft Cast Iron Steel Baking stone, £14.99 - includes 58% discount

For more Wayfair.co.uk Cyber Monday deals, click here.

About Wayfair.co.uk:

Wayfair LLC is the parent company of Wayfair.co.uk - an online retailer offering everything for the home. With a massive selection of over 500,000 items for the home, to suit all styles and budgets from over 1,600 leading brands - chances are you'll find just the right item for your home. Other sites under the Wayfair umbrella include Wayfair.com, Wayfair.de, Wayfair.com.au, AllModern.co.uk, AllModern.com and JossandMain.com.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Wayfair employs over 1,300 people globally and was recently named the 28^th most valuable private digital company by Business Insider. Wayfair has in total seven business and distribution centres across the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Australia.

Media contact:

To arrange an interview, request high resolution photography or for more information on Wayfair.co.uk, please contact:

Karen Hamblen
UK PR Manager, Wayfair.co.uk
Email: Khamblen@wayfair.com
Mob: +44(0)7-427-317-167

SOURCE Wayfair.co.uk