How can an e-commerce business survive the holiday madness?

Audrey Reyes Published on October 13, 2019 Last updated on November 28, 2021

In less than a month, millions of Thanksgiving turkeys will grace banquets and signal the much-awaited Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping bonanzas.

With price slashes often too good to resist, bargain hunters are expected to flood every brick-and-mortar store and e-commerce business’ website. People will also be reaching out to brands’ customer service channels to seek assistance with their purchases, billing, and technical concerns.

Businesses must suit up to face the onslaught of shoppers on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

Cyber Week in numbers

tiny shopping cart with packages on laptop on e-commerce website

In 2018, Black Friday brought in a record $6.2 billion in online revenues while Thanksgiving Day itself pulled in a hefty $3.7 billion. According to Adobe Analytics, Cyber Monday 2018 set bigger record-breaking earnings of $7.9 billion from e-commerce spendingโ€”a 19.3% increase from 2017.

Cyber Week statistics compiled by BigCommerce indicates that 53% of total Cyber Week orders came in from mobile channels such as smartphones and tablets. The online source usage was as follows: desktop (47%), mobile phones (45%), and tablet (8%), with web stores driving in more than 50% higher average order value than other sales channels, including branded e-commerce sites such as Amazon, eBay, and Facebook.

Horrors versus reality

If anything, these numbers don’t necessarily mean a big payday for every retailer. Black Friday horror stories aren’t urban legends; things can get vicious because bargain hunters are relentless.

e-commerce entrepreneur on phones in dark office

Expecting the unexpected will help brands prepare for the holiday salesโ€”from website crashes and massive spikes in customer support queues to product supply failing to meet demands.

If brands don’t prepare, then they’re bound to fall flat. They risk losing multiple business opportunities, denting their credibility and reputation, and losing the customers’ trust. Brands need to beef up their practices, products, and processes to remain on top every year.

Be motivated by what your competition is doing right and take a closer look at your processes and customer base.

Here are some important things to do before Black Friday and Cyber Monday arrive.

happy e-commerce team looking at post it notes
  1. Make a listโ€”and check it twice


    List down issues you predict may come up based on previous scenarios on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

  2. Study your customers


    Assess available data to determine common customer pain points, favored support channels, and other valuable details. When you listen to your customers, it’s easier to come up with useful solutions to fit their ever-changing needs.

  3. Survey the Cyber Week field


    Brands must always be on the lookout for what the customers are exploring. Ecommerce businesses can track and pull up the hits and searches they receive, enabling them to address potential server shutdowns due to heavy traffic or long customer service queues. Social listening and having a detailed understanding of your customer base can give you an approximation of what Cyber Week could drag to your front door.

  4. Amp up your defenses


    A few questions to ask yourself :

    • Do you have enough people to cater to your expected customer queues?
    • Can your customer service channels, ecommerce site, and app handle the influx of traffic?
    • Are you equipped to handle third party outages, such as your payment processors errors?

    If you have no concrete, data-backed responses for any of these questions, it s best to add a few more items on your Step 1 checklist.

  5. https://www.openaccessbpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/diverse-customer-support-working-for-a-call-center-e-commerce-site.jpg
  6. Set expectations


    Marketing and promotions could go any direction, and brands may end up overselling and giving the customers unrealistic expectations. Always make sure you can readily provide what you promised, within reasonable means.

  7. Strengthen your first line of customer support defense


    Cascade information and changes effectively to all employees involved. When the right information reaches the appropriate people, they can serve customers better and increase satisfaction for your brand. Another way of reinforcing your customer support strategy is by setting up an auto-response system and template for live chat requests, phone calls.

  8. Reach out and outsource


    You don’t need to bear the full weight of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to consider outsourcing your customer service or back office solutions. When running an ecommerce business, you need all the help you can get from reputable partners who can see you through holiday shopping madness or sustain your already stellar reputation.

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Open Access BPO recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Davao site, marking 10 years of operational excellence and continued partnership with global brands.

From its early beginnings, our Davao site has grown into a strategic hub for English-language back office support, our team of experts delivering reliable and high-quality solutions for critical business functions.

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Open Access BPO 12 days ago
#TeamOABPO Davao marked #CustomerServiceWeek with a full week of engaging and fun activities. The celebrations brought everyone together through friendly competitions, shared meals, and moments that recognized the people who deliver excellent support to our clients every day.

It was a meaningful way to show appreciation for the teams who help us build lasting partnerships and deliver dependable customer experiences.

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๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ฆ ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ธ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ:
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We recently wrapped up another awesome #CSWeek filled with fun activities, laughter, and appreciation for our amazing #CustomerService teams!

From games and challenges to team bonding and well-deserved treats, the week was all about celebrating the people who make Open Access BPO shine every single day.

At the heart of everything we do is our people. Our success comes from their dedication, passion, and commitment to providing world-class service. That's why we're proud to be an employee-first company, where hard work is recognized, and everyone's contribution truly matters.

We had a blast celebrating our #CustomerServiceWeek champions, and we're already looking forward to making CS Week 2026 even bigger and better!

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Open Access BPO 21 days ago
๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—ž๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐˜€ ๐—ข๐—ณ๐—ณ ๐—–๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ธ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ

Open Access BPO launched its #CustomerServiceWeek 2025 celebration with an event honoring its #CustomerSupport teams.

This year's theme, Mission: Possible, celebrates how #TeamOABPO turns every #CustomerExperience challenge into success through skill, dedication, and teamwork.

A special highlight was a client video thanking employees for their commitment and excellence. Throughout the week, team members across all sites will enjoy themed games and activities leading up to a grand finale recognizing top performers.

#CSWeek remains one of Open Access BPO's most anticipated traditions, celebrating teamwork, recognition, and fun at work.

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