Despite a catchy name and no shortage of media coverage, Cyber Monday (Nov. 27) didn't produce the surge in online sales that many were expecting.

Cyber Monday - the Monday after Thanksgiving - has been promoted as the biggest online shopping day of the year. But research firm comScore says Cyber Monday is in fact only the 12th biggest online shopping day of the year, Business Week reports. So far, November 22 has been the best online shopping day of the season, with most e-tailers reporting that they expect the best day to come in December.

Shop.org, an association for retailers that sell online, put out a press release on Nov. 21 touting Cyber Monday as "one of the biggest online shopping days of the year." Shop.org claims to have coined the term Cyber Monday.

Though this year's Cyber Monday didn't meet expectations, it has become instant media story. Moreover, even with short lead time, many retailers created special Cyber Monday-branded sales, and there's reason to expect even more such promotions next year.