Every year, Black Friday sets the stage for what could be the most profitable day for retailers. But with this opportunity comes immense pressures:
- Handling an influx of orders
- Ensuring accurate stock availability
- Delivering a seamless customer experience
- Avoiding system downtime
For many retailers, their current Order Management System (OMS) simply isn’t up to the task. Downtime during this critical period can lead to significant financial losses, frustrated customers, and long-term damage to brand reputation.
So, how can you ensure your OMS is prepared to handle the demands of Black Friday? Here’s how you can prevent costly downtime and maximize your sales potential.
The True Cost of OMS Downtime on Black Friday
Black Friday offers immense sales potential, but the consequences of OMS downtime can be devastating. Let’s break down exactly what’s at stake if your system fails during the biggest shopping day of the year.
Lost Sales
During Black Friday, the window to capture sales is brief, and every second counts. Even a few minutes of OMS downtime can lead to thousands of lost orders.
For example, during a flash sale, Fluent Order Management enabled one retailer to process 130 orders per second. Another processed 833 orders per second. Imagine the revenue lost if your system couldn’t keep up with that pace.
Customer Frustration
OMS issues during peak events lead to delayed orders, inaccurate stock levels, and poor customer experiences. This not only impacts immediate sales but also drives customers away for future purchases. A smooth, reliable experience is crucial to maintaining customer trust.
Long-Term Impact
The ripple effects of downtime extend beyond Black Friday. Negative reviews, abandoned carts, and lost loyalty can continue to affect your business long after the sales event is over. The damage to your brand can take months or even years to repair.
Why Traditional OMS Solutions Struggle During Peak Events
As the orders start flooding in, not all OMS systems can keep up. Here’s why many traditional solutions falter under the pressure of Black Friday’s intense demands.
1. Scalability Issues
Traditional OMS systems often struggle to scale during high-volume events like Black Friday. As order volumes spike, these systems can slow down or crash entirely, leading to lost sales and customer dissatisfaction.
Fluent Order Management, by contrast, uses the latest databases and services offered by cloud vendors.It’s designed to scale dynamically, so it can handle extreme volumes with ease. For instance, during a sale event, it supported the sale of 300,000 units of stock in just six minutes, without a hitch.
2. API Latency
One of the most common reasons for OMS failures during peak times is not orders. It’s inventory availability response times. Why? Because there are many more items browsed than bought. Traditional systems often can’t handle the surge in customers checking if an item is in stock, or when they can get it. This leads to slow performance or crashes.
Fluent’s architecture is optimized to prevent these bottlenecks. It ensures smooth operations, even under heavy loads.
For example, one customer shows 24 live pickup and delivery options on their Product Listing Page (PLP) in under 500 milliseconds. And it’s not cached data. It’s based on real-time sourcing logic via API, so it’s always accurate. So they’ve reduced canceled orders to almost zero.
3. Integration Challenges
Legacy OMS systems often struggle to integrate. They don’t play well with modern ecommerce platforms and third-party solutions. This can create bottlenecks and delays during peak periods. Fluent Order Management supports several integration patterns to seamlessly integrate with your existing systems. So you can choose the right integration method depending on the use case. This gives you confidence you’ll have a smooth flow of data and orders, even under pressure.
How to Prevent Downtime and Maximizes Sales
Black Friday can be the ultimate test of your operations. Even minor system hiccups can lead to significant losses. But Fluent Order Management is built to handle the challenges of high-volume sales events like Black Friday.
Here’s how you can keep your downtime at bay and business profits on track during peak events with Fluent:
1. Effortlessly scale your operations when it counts
When the pressure is on, Fluent Order Management scales effortlessly, managing high volumes of orders without a hitch. The cloud-based architecture dynamically allocates resources to meet demand. This prevents the slowdowns or crashes that can derail your sales. With Fluent, your operations stay smooth, no matter how intense the rush.
2. Keep your inventory accurate, around the clock
Inaccurate stock levels can lead to overselling and customer frustration. Especially during Black Friday. Fluent Order Management provides real-time inventory updates. Meaning, your customers see exactly what’s available. This precision not only boosts customer satisfaction but also drives higher sales.
Example: During a TikTok influencer campaign, Fluent dynamically scaled to show accurate availability to 30,000-80,000 customers in just 15 minutes, delivering a seamless experience for all.
3. Integrate and automate your workflows
Fluent Order Management seamlessly integrates with your ecommerce platforms and third-party solutions. It ensures that all parts of the order process work together smoothly, even during high-pressure periods. This automation reduces manual errors and speeds up order processing. The result? You maximize your sales and customer satisfaction.
4. Stay one step ahead with proactive monitoring and support
Identify and resolve potential issues before they affect operations. Fluent’s proactive system monitoring and support does just that. This ensures that you’re ready for anything that Black Friday throws your way.
Preparing Your OMS for Black Friday
To ensure your OMS is ready for the demands of Black Friday, consider taking these proactive steps:
1. Stress-Test Your System
Before the big day, conduct a thorough stress test of your current OMS. Identify any weak points that could lead to downtime. Use load-testing tools to simulate Black Friday conditions and ensure your system can handle the pressure.
2. Optimize Your Inventory and Fulfillment Processes
Review and optimize your inventory levels, fulfillment strategies, and supplier relationships. This ensures that you’re ready to meet demand quickly and efficiently. Streamlining these processes now will save time and prevent issues on Black Friday.
3. Plan for Contingencies
Develop a contingency plan for handling unexpected issues. This should include backup systems, clear communication protocols, and a direct line to the Fluent Commerce support team. With a solid plan in place, you can minimize the impact of any unforeseen challenges.
Secure Your Success This Black Friday
The stakes are high, but with the right preparation, Black Friday can be a major success. By preventing OMS downtime and maximizing your sales potential, you can protect your profits and set the stage for a strong end to the year.
Ready to see how Fluent Order Management can safeguard your profits and boost your success this Black Friday and beyond? Schedule a personalized demo today to learn more about how our platform can support your business.
