Cyber Monday may be one reason Black Friday's turning gray

Forget Black Friday, the modern shopper may get more excited about Cyber Monday.

The first Monday after Thanksgiving has exploded with sales on items comprising the entire range of retail goods, available to anyone with Internet access and a mailing address.

Some retail experts predict nearly half of all sales this holiday season will be conducted online, or at least influenced by web browsing by consumers.

It's hoped the convenience of online shopping will help push total sales up about 3.8 percent over last year.

Last year, online sales on Cyber Monday reportedly topped $1.4 billion, possibly the largest single day of Internet shopping in history.

Will this year follow suit? Many experts predict it will, and they see further growth in coming years.

Some people will always prefer to see, feel, smell, even taste wares before they buy them.

But increasingly, low prices, free shipping, a large selection, and sheer convenience have people heading to the laptop instead of the driveway when its time to do the holiday shopping.