“The push for early holiday shopping is practical as much as it is promotional for retailers,” says Wirecutter Deals editor Nathan Burrow. The second trend that has become predominant this year is the closing of physical stores, shifting most (if not all) sales into the online sphere. This is not only to keep costumers safe, but to ensure a more manageable and predictable chain of supply. While most stores remain open currently, many bigger name brands are considering closing their stores on Black Friday, which some brands had already done in years prior to 2020. Business Insider shared that “Walmart, for one, has decided to close on Thanksgiving, ending a long tradition of kicking off their Black Friday sales on the holiday. But very few other retailers have spoken publicly about what Black Friday will look like this year at this point.” The third trend that will become popular during Black Friday 2020 is curbside pick-up. Retailers like Macy’s have already launched (and improved) these services throughout the development of the pandemic., We can expect it to continue during Black Friday sales. Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette stated that “Curbside pickup is going to be a big secret weapon for us. We didn’t have that last holiday season. First off, the speed and the safety of curbside pickup, we think that’s going to be huge for this holiday season if they’re [customers] not comfortable to walk into a store.” But news sources such as Mashable have already pointed out some evident repercussions of this year’s online trends. “Because there will be such an influx of traffic for retailers’ online shops, you can fully expect to run into technical issues. Be prepared for sites to be slower or just crash altogether because of higher traffic.” Preparing for such intense online traffic has therefore become a priority for most online retailers, and quality assurance, load (performance) testing, and automation will increasingly become essential in both the short and long term. Are you unsure of how well your website will perform as your traffic increases? You can reach out to us via the form below for a Free Initial Performance Consultation.