Editor's note: This article appeared in the December 6, 2010, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, officially kicking off the holiday shopping season. As many consumers scoured lots for parking spaces, waited in inconceivably long lines and clamored for the last X at the lowest price ever offered, onlookers - and perhaps even some shoppers - may have wondered: Why do we Americans put ourselves through the chaos year after year?

This is exactly the question Fort Washington, Pa., research company ListenLogic sought to answer by analyzing tens of thousands of public online conversations throughout the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping period to reveal how consumers think about, prepare for and act upon Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping and how these behaviors differ.

Top reasons why consumers shop on Black Friday

1. The tradition of shopping with friends and family (40 percent)

2. Inspiration of holiday music and decorations (21 percent)

3. Prospect of finding a great deal (18 percent)

4. Afraid item(s) will sell out (17 percent)

Top reasons why consumers shop on Cyber Monday

1. Couldn't resist the impulse to check out deals (39 percent)

2. Heard about a promotion through someone in their online social network (21 percent)

3. The ability to comparison shop with ease (18 percent)

4. Received feedback from their online social network for peace of mind (13 percent)

Time spent planning purchases differed greatly between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Twenty-two percent of consumers who mentioned shopping on Black Friday noted making plans at least one week in advance, compared to just 6 percent of those who mentioned shopping on Cyber Monday. Interestingly, 19 percent of consumers noted making purchasing plans within just 24 hours of Cyber Monday, compared to 3 percent for Black Friday.

The short planning-to-purchase cycle of Cyber Monday is also evidenced by the fact that 21 percent of consumers noted making an impulse purchase on Cyber Monday, compared to just 6 percent of consumers who mentioned doing so on Black Friday. Furthermore, 18 percent of consumers completed their Cyber Monday shopping and then decided to shop at least once more that day, compared to 2 percent of consumers who completed their Black Friday shopping. Twenty percent of consumers noted purchasing something for themselves on Cyber Monday, as opposed to only 6 percent who mentioned purchasing something for themselves on Black Friday.

Based on this information, brick-and-mortar retailers could considering using online social networks to encourage offline social shopping or utilizing online promotions that stress immediacy to prompt in-store purchases.