WAVE 3 - Louisville, KYLocal businesses benefit from Cyber Monday

Local businesses benefit from Cyber Monday

By Connie Leonard - bio | email  
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - While Black Friday was the kickoff of the holiday shopping season for brick and mortar stores, for online retailers it was Cyber Monday. It's the day when the online industry puts out special deals to lure shoppers.

The busiest shopping times are usually when people are supposed to be working. More than 80 percent of online retailers were expected to have holiday promotions. Here in Kentuckiana, some local companies are reaping the rewards of Cyber Monday and the internet in general. 

Between filling huge corporate orders at the warehouse, keeping up with retail sales out front, and satisfying all those online customers waiting for a taste of Kentucky, you could say Cyber Monday is a little busy for A Taste of Kentucky. It's no surprise because a slice of Kentucky history is the number one online seller. 

"Derby Pie, we sell thousands of Derby Pies," said John Hassmann, owner of A Taste of Kentucky.

It was 12 years ago when Hussmann got his gift business online and it's been growing ever since with shoppers around the country and right here at home. 

"A lot of them are here in Louisville that just don't want to get out of the car," Hussmann said of local online customers. 

From now until mid-December, it's a busy time for a Hassmann's business and that leaves his employees too busy to shop on Cyber Monday. 

"They don't have time because they're all working," Hassmann laughed.  

A few miles away, Chris Brumley, owner of Bukoogifts.com, said, "Our traffic has more than doubled today."

Bukoo gifts is bukoo busy with thousands of new customers. 

"Once we hit that one million dollar mark, we thought, ‘Oh man, we've got something,'" Brumley said of his early success. 

Holiday shoppers are catching on to Brumley's twist on gift cards. Never knowing how much you spent, the person receiving your online gift gets to shop from countless items all the same price point. And Brumley says there is one more bonus traditional gift cards lack.

"Once the recipient chooses their gift, you're sent an e-mail to tell you what they got," said Brumley.

With Bukoo gift cards, you can send your present to someone on Christmas Day if you want. Brumley says many employers are also giving Bukoo bucks to allow their employees to go shopping.