In recent years, significant shifts in consumer behaviour have reshaped the landscape of Black Friday and holiday shopping. The traditional peak of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) has evolved into a protracted period of promotions, starting earlier and ending later.

This extension offers retailers opportunities to smooth out sales peaks, sustain customer interest, and drive more purchasing decisions. Here, we explore key trends and strategies for maximising sales during this extended period and how agile, composable technology can unlock new potential for retailers.

The extended sales period: The new normal

Black Friday is no longer confined to a single day or weekend. Many brands now initiate sales weeks before the actual day, fostering a smoother period of sustained sales activity and greater total revenue, while allowing better planning for stock, ordering, and delivery. This longer promotional window provides an opportunity for retailers to engage consumers incrementally and maintain sales momentum without overwhelming fulfilment systems or customer service teams.

Shifts in customer behaviour and expectations

To stay competitive, retailers must adapt to changing customer expectations. Key trends include:

  • Shipping and returns policies: Low or free shipping and clear, reliable returns policies remain critical. Consumers value convenience and assurance when purchasing online, especially in an extended sales period.
  • Value over brand loyalty: The current economic climate pushes consumers to prioritise value. Retailers must bolster their value propositions through personalised pricing strategies and tailored product experiences to maintain customer loyalty.
  • Flexible payment options: A variety of payment options is increasingly important. Many consumers abandon their carts if their preferred payment method isn’t available, underscoring the need for versatile payment solutions.

Proven strategies to smooth out sales peaks

Retailers looking to mitigate sales spikes and troughs should consider:

  • Starting early, ending late: Launching sales ahead of the traditional BFCM window and extending them beyond can prevent system overloads and offer consumers a more leisurely shopping experience.
  • Timed mini-sales: Dropping category-specific or product-specific sales throughout the extended period can encourage repeat visits and sustain interest.

Leveraging agile technology for real-time adaptability

Composable commerce platforms offer retailers the flexibility to respond to consumer trends in real-time and deliver differentiated experiences during extended sales events. With the power of agile technology, retailers can:

  • Deploy customer-centric experiences quickly: Composable solutions enable rapid iteration and deployment, such as entire-page takeovers highlighting special promotions or product launches.
  • Test and optimise: Composable commerce allows for the easy testing of new features or sales strategies, such as integrating social commerce elements or interactive shopping tools that engage users.

Cloud-native architecture: Reliability under pressure

One of the biggest challenges retailers face during peak sales is the risk of downtime or delays under high traffic, leading to lost sales and customer dissatisfaction. Composable commerce platforms, like commercetools, address this challenge with “auto-scaling capabilities” that seamlessly handle traffic surges, ensuring stable performance without additional operational strain.

For example, during Black Friday 2022, commercetools processed:

  • Over 2.5 times more revenue versus an average week.
  • 105% growth in order volumes from the prior year.
  • 8.4 billion API requests during Cyber Week—a 60% increase year-on-year—all with an average response time of just 23 milliseconds.

Australian retailer Kitchen Warehouse exemplifies the benefits of this approach. After adopting commercetools, the brand reported its biggest Black Friday and Cyber Monday period ever, breaking records for sales, traffic, and concurrent users—all without any technical hiccups.

These examples underscore how composable commerce platforms not only enhance operational stability during high-demand periods but also empower businesses to deliver superior customer experiences.

Future-proof through composable commerce

The rise of social media as a product discovery channel continues to reshape how consumers approach their purchase journeys. While many advanced markets still prefer traditional platforms for completing transactions, emerging markets are increasingly comfortable making purchases directly via social channels. This trend highlights the potential of composable commerce to support seamless, multi-channel shopping experiences.

Composable commerce empowers retailers to harness these trends by facilitating:

  • Enhanced social media integration: Platforms that offer composable solutions enable targeted influencer campaigns that resonate with regional audiences.
  • Marketplace collaboration: The flexibility of composable commerce also supports partnerships with marketplaces and direct-to-supplier models, catering to consumers’ value-driven searches.

Key benefits of the commercetools platform

Retailers leveraging the commercetools platform during peak sales find it particularly beneficial due to its:

  • Scalability: The platform handles significant traffic while maintaining a seamless customer experience.
  • Performance and flexibility: Its composable architecture allows for the quick adaptation and optimisation of digital storefronts for various customer needs, ensuring a personalised and engaging shopping journey.

Looking ahead: The role of composable commerce in future retail trends

The shift to an extended BFCM period and the integration of social commerce are just the beginning. Retailers must remain adaptable to leverage these trends effectively. Composable commerce not only supports this adaptability but also positions retailers to experiment, innovate, and deliver unique customer experiences across any channel.

As the retail landscape continues to evolve, embracing composable commerce will be a key differentiator for businesses looking to thrive during both peak sales and everyday operations.

Robert McColl is director of customer success for APAC at commercetools.