India, Nov. 13 -- Every year, as November draws to a close, the internet starts buzzing with countdowns, flash sales, and unmissable offers. Black Friday, which falls on November 28 this year, is the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season and is one of the busiest retail days of the year.

It originated in the United States in the 1960s. Cops used it to describe the heavy traffic and crowded streets that took over the city the day after Thanksgiving. Over time, retailers adopted the term and rebranded it to a day when their accounting books went "in the black" (profit) instead of "in the red" (loss) for the year.

A few days after this comes Cyber Monday, which was created to encourage online shopping. It now features significant...