Roq predicts this Black Friday’s tech disasters

Black Friday, the annual shopping extravaganza, is a time for incredible deals and discounts. However, it is also a high-stakes period fraught with potential challenges for retailers and technology companies.

From overwhelming website traffic to logistical mishaps, here are some possible technology-related issues that we predict e-commerce retailers will encounter during your Black Friday sales events.

Website Overload and Crashes

One of the most common technology disasters during Black Friday is the poor performance of websites leading to crashes. The massive influx of online shoppers trying to grab the best deals can cause website servers to overload, resulting in crashes or slowdowns. This not only leads to frustrated customers but can also result in revenue loss for businesses. And with 70% of baskets being abandoned by customers, leading to a reported $4 trillion of lost revenue by online retailers each year, this isn’t a problem your business can afford to ignore.

Payment Processing Issues

With a surge in online transactions, payment processing systems might struggle to handle the increased load. Slow transaction times or payment failures can deter customers from completing purchases, impacting both sales and customer satisfaction. Research has shown that a performant, bug-free website and payment system could lead to a 35% uptick in customer conversion rates.

 Inventory Management Problems

 Inaccurate inventory counts or issues in updating product availability in real-time can lead to customers making purchases, only to find out later that the item is out of stock. This can result in order cancellations and unhappy customers, who might be quick to complain publicly on social media.

Security Breaches and Cyberattacks

Cybercriminals often target high-traffic periods like Black Friday to exploit vulnerabilities. Security breaches or cyberattacks can lead to compromised customer data, financial loss, and damage to a company’s reputation.

Delivery and Logistics Challenges

Post-sale, the pressure shifts to ensure timely deliveries. Logistics might become strained due to the sudden increase in orders, potentially leading to delayed or mishandled deliveries, and causing customer dissatisfaction.

Conclusion: Mystic Roq 

Although many may say it’s impossible to predict what challenges and disasters may occur over the Black Friday sales period, our predictions are determined by years of experience in supporting some of the world’s largest organisations, and there are many things you can do to mitigate the issues your business may face.

We will be checking in again next week (after Cyber Monday), to assess if any of our predictions came true, and will also give you some of our top tips to start practicing now to avoid such mishaps next year.