In 2017 Black Friday was the single largest cause of web traffic peaks and website outages in the retail industry. Even a 1-second delay in load time can result in a 7% loss in conversions.

Most online retailers receive a spike in website traffic of 10x normal levels. This is what makes Black Friday break shopping records year after year, and fuels longer flash sale periods spanning the week prior to the traditional one-day Black Friday event. It also brings danger and disruption as many websites do not have the infrastructure to support such huge surges in visitors, that’s why managing your own traffic and understanding the bot landscape can protect your brand and inventory.

This year 83% of customers are primed to spend more than last year and UK sales are predicted to exceed £1bn again. Spikes in traffic present both challenges and opportunities to the retail industry.

Website downtime costs retailers an average of £57,000 per hour on Black Friday, which is £1.3m for the day. Not only do website crashes result in a loss of revenue from missed conversions, but they also leave customers dissatisfied, more likely to complain and less likely to return.