Next, teams should also take into account the various promotions that the marketers are intending to stagger throughout the day. Half the battle is won by predicting the traffic flow alone.

Once there is an indication of the expected traffic flow, the teams can then work on optimizing the traffic flow while increasing customer touchpoints. Jeju Air, the fastest-growing airline in Korea, is a prime example of how an optimized, integrated solution that enhances reliability, security, and the ability to handle traffic surges, truly enhances the customer experience. Even though the airline regularly pushes out online promotions, its IT team is able to easily manage and divert traffic during surges to ensure the best experience to capture all potential sales on the site.

What makes your customers tick when shopping online?

According to F5 Network’s Curve of Convenience research, the Asian consumer base alone comprises of many different personalities when it comes to application usage, behavior and attitude towards security. For instance, seven in 10 Singaporeans will not hesitate to drop an application if data security has been compromised. Furthermore, half of application users surveyed in APAC are prioritizing security over convenience.

What exactly does this imply for eCommerce brands when it comes to shopping events and promotions? The influx of traffic can be (and has been) used as a ruse by cybercriminals to sneak malware into any organization’s system, allowing them to gain access to the treasure trove of customer data that these brands have accumulated. An attack of this nature launched during shopping events will naturally tick off customers, and potentially hinder future performance.

The challenge lies in delivering application with speed and security, something that Shinsegae Internet Duty Free has accomplished by implementing a robust security solution. The retailer was able to discover unusual traffic patterns to protect their system against threats to enhance their security without impacting the end-user experience.

Automation: The One ring that binds them all

We have established some of what eCommerce brands need to work on to achieve the desired outcomes from shopping events. The fact remains that the more layers and policies that are pushed out, the more delays can be expected, making it counterintuitive to do so. This explains why brands overlook security policies in favor of delivering services at warp speed.

But what if I told you that there is a way to achieve both security and speed? With automation, teams can integrate security policies that are able to run on their own without needing IT teams to manually screen for threats. By having automated security policies integrated into the system from the very beginning, delivering services becomes an easier process for teams, especially during peak periods.

With these toolsets and policies in place, eCommerce teams can ready their applications for the onslaught of bargain hunters coming their way, and online shoppers can safely continue their spree without a hitch this shopping season.