Industry Talk
Regular Industry Development Updates, Opinions and Talking Points relating to Manufacturing, the Supply Chain and Logistics.Holiday shopping season is already upon us – Can networks cope with the surge in online shopping?
It is hard to believe, but holiday shopping season is already upon us, with Amazon Prime Day in full swing. Peak season deals such as Amazon Prime often drive a record number of new sales as more people surf the web looking for a bargain. However, this year we could be set to see an additional peak with more people than ever more turning to online shopping. Online retailers have recently reported a surge in traffic, and this morning ASOS confirmed a record high with an additional three million new customers added to its database this year.
This provides retailers with a great opportunity after a harsh lockdown, but peak sale days often put pressure on the network. This year it is more critical than ever that sites keep and up and running and can support the new volume and traffic we are set to see – as retailers look to cash in and make up on lost profits.
Unplanned network downtime can be costly, but as we start to gear up to peak season shopping days the stakes are raised even higher. Each year retailers prepare for a surge in traffic and hope to see more shoppers visiting their websites. But this year it is likely we will see an additional peak with more consumers than ever before shopping online.
With lockdown’s taking place locally, and more people working from home, we could see a record number of online sales. Recent data has already confirmed the way we shop is changing due to the global pandemic, with online sales reaching a new high according to the figures from the ONS. This presents retailers with the perfect opportunity to boost sales, but it is also critical that networks can support the surge in online traffic and meet shopper demand – otherwise they risk losing out on valuable key sales and diminishing the virtual shopping experience. Network connectivity plays a critical role in supporting this, and now more than ever networks need to be able to adapt dynamically otherwise peaks in traffic could ‘break the internet’ this year.