How Engineers Prepare Websites for Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and with it, two of the biggest shopping holidays of the year — Black Friday and its virtual counterpart, Cyber Monday. Last Cyber Monday, consumers spent over $12 billion worldwide on the epic deals and discounts online.

As you might expect, Black Friday through Cyber Monday is a high-stakes opportunity for e-commerce businesses that requires meticulous planning and execution. A seamless user experience can make the difference between hitting record sales or losing out to competitors. Any hiccup in website performance can lead to missed opportunities and dissatisfied customers.

So, how exactly do Web Developers and Software Engineers get websites ready for the biggest sale of the year? Below, we break it down into 10 steps.

1. Brace for traffic spikes

Most vendors will see huge spikes in web traffic during the long weekend after Thanksgiving — especially if they’ve launched a solid marketing campaign in the days (or weeks) prior. But what happens if your website can’t handle it? Servers can get overwhelmed, performance might suffer, or the whole site might even crash. And when shoppers are spending millions a minute, downtime couldn’t be more costly.

So, engineers have to make sure their sites can handle large amounts of traffic. This involves reaching out to web hosts to figure out traffic limitations, upgrading servers, and possibly having backup servers on standby (just in case).

2. Set up cybersecurity measures

With phishing schemes, scam calls, and suspicious emails abounding left and right, people are more skeptical than ever about sharing their private information (like bank and card info). In fact, about half of all users in the U.S. steer clear of online shopping out of data and privacy concerns.

So, what do you do? How do you reassure your customers that their information is in good hands?

As it turns out, there are several steps you can take.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certifications are a great way to showcase your commitment to cybersecurity. By encrypting communications between a site’s servers and its users’ browsers, SSLs help engineers keep data safe from prying eyes.

Aside from SSL certifications, other defense measures include setting up firewalls, captchas, and safe checkout badges. Many developers will also create banners listing well-known customers, clients, and/or press mentions to help boost their site’s credibility.

Want to learn more about keeping data safe? Learn the basics in our Introduction to Cybersecurity course.

3. Optimize for mobile devices

Today, more than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. In 2023, 59% of online sales were conducted from a smartphone. This means engineers now have to make sure their websites are optimized for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

So, how do you optimize a website for mobile?

First, you have to make sure it’s responsive. Responsive websites automatically adjust to the user’s environment (e.g., screen size, platform, orientation, etc.), enabling a seamless experience across devices. To learn more, check out our Learn Responsive Design course.

Responsiveness is also great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The more responsive your website, the better it’ll rank on search engines like Google — boosting visibility and potentially generating more traffic.

4. Cut down load times

Shoppers have little patience when it comes to waiting for slow sites to load. Chances are, they’ll lose interest after a few seconds and turn elsewhere.

Data shows that 25% of users will leave a web page that doesn’t load within four seconds. Mobile users are even more likely to jump ship, with 74% exiting after 5 seconds. And, once they’re gone, these users aren’t likely to return.

Fortunately, there are several steps developers take to reduce load times (and appease impatient users). These steps include:

Compressing or resizing images Caching web pages Cutting unnecessary plugins

5. Streamline UI/UX

Your website’s design is just as important as its responsiveness and loading speeds. The harder it is for users to find what they’re looking for on your site, the greater the chance they’ll turn to one of your competitors.

To prevent this, engineers simplify their website’s user interface (UI), touching up menus, and streamlining search and checkout processes. The easier it is to navigate your site, the better the user experience (UX), making it easier to attract and retain customers. If you’re curious about UI/UX design, we recommend the course Introduction to UI and UX Design.

6. Test everything

The last thing you want is to miss out on sales due to unexpected bugs or errors. So, in the days (or weeks) leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Web Devs will test a website’s functionality, responsiveness, load times, and more to make sure everything’s ready to go. Understanding how to test and maintain websites is just as important as knowing how to build them. You can learn these skills in the course Learn Testing for Web Development.

One of the key tests conducted is load testing, which simulates high traffic scenarios to assess how the website performs under pressure. This helps identify any bottlenecks or weaknesses in the system that could lead to slowdowns or crashes during peak shopping periods. Devs often use additional tools to conduct these tests and gather valuable insights into server capacity and response times.

Usability testing is another important aspect that involves real users interacting with the website to ensure that navigation is intuitive, checkout processes are smooth, and all features function as intended. This type of testing helps uncover any friction points that could frustrate customers or lead them to abandon their carts.

Lastly, devs often utilize automated testing tools like Selenium or TestComplete to streamline the testing process. These tools can quickly run a wide range of scenarios to catch errors that may not be immediately apparent.

7. Analyze data

This step technically comes after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but it’s still a key element in the process.

If you’re familiar with data science, then you know a website’s data is a treasure trove of information about its users. With tools like SQL and Python, engineers can learn more about their target audiences, including their interests and online behaviors. Then, these insights can be used to fine-tune the site and offer users a better experience during the next holiday.

Want to learn more about analyzing data? Check out courses like Analyze Data With SQL and Analyze Financial Data With Python. Or, for a more comprehensive approach to data science, try our Data Scientist or Data Analyst Career Paths.

8. Communicate

Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are typically all-hands-on-deck events that require coordinated efforts from every team. Customer Support Specialists engage directly with shoppers to resolve issues, while Data Analysts track sales metrics in real time. Engineering teams need to establish clear communication and set expectations with all stakeholders, agreeing beforehand on communication channels and break glass procedures.

Devs might want to brush up on professional skills like communication to ensure they’re fully prepared to navigate these major sales events. We have lots of free courses aimed at business and soft skills, like Effective Stakeholder Communications for Technology Professionals and Effective Team Communication.

9. Enhance the customer experience

The customer journey is at the heart of any successful e-commerce strategy, especially during big events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Engineers and Designers work hand-in-hand to ensure that the user experience is seamless and engaging. This includes personalizing the shopping experience, implementing intuitive navigation, and offering features like real-time assistance through chatbots. Prioritizing customer satisfaction not only boosts sales but also encourages repeat business and brand loyalty.

10. Leverage data-driven marketing strategies

Data is a powerful tool for crafting effective marketing campaigns in a digital landscape. During the lead-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, marketing teams collaborate with developers to integrate analytics tools that track user behavior and preferences. By leveraging this data, businesses can create targeted promotions and offers that resonate with their audience. From personalized email campaigns to dynamic pricing strategies, data-driven marketing ensures that a brand stands out in the crowded holiday shopping space.

The steps above go a long way toward getting websites ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Accessibility practices, which we cover in courses like Learn HTML and Learn Intermediate CSS, are another great way to maximize your audience. There are also tools like Angular and React that allow you to create SPAs (single page applications) that reduce load times and provide a seamless user experience.

Ready to learn more about website optimization? We’ve got a whole catalog of courses on web development. Sign up now to start learning!

This blog was originally published in November 2021 and has been updated to include additional tips, courses, and resources.