Retailers face digital & cyber threats in Black Friday season
Retailers are heading into the Black Friday period under increased scrutiny as both digital experience and security threats heighten. The traditional single-day event has developed into a much broader shopping season, amplifying technical and cyber security challenges for operators around the world.
Digital performance
Retailers continue to feel pressure to ensure a frictionless digital buying experience. According to analysis from Dynatrace, just 22% of global retail sites currently meet mobile user experience optimisation criteria, a rise on the previous year but still low given the dominance of mobile traffic. Testing site readiness for surges, managing inventory efficiently, and maintaining site speed are key priorities for retailers looking to meet consumer expectations and secure repeat business.
"Behind every promotion and sale is a complex web of AI, data, and cloud technologies that must co-exist seamlessly, especially as traffic increases. These spikes can be a threat to stability, but also offer significant revenue opportunities when a seamless user experience turns surging demand into sales. As these ecosystems grow more complicated, it becomes more challenging for retailers to have complete visibility, resilience and operational readiness over their operations. This year, pressure is on. According to Dynatrace's latest analysis, only 22% of global sites are currently optimised for mobile user experience, up 15% from last year. Although the improvement is significant from last year's Black Friday, shoppers are still likely to suffer from a substandard buying experience. In order to be best prepared, retailers need to have fast, easy-to-use sites which offer a smooth experience between browsing online and picking up in-store. Testing systems beforehand to handle increased traffic and manage stock smartly, is crucial for companies looking to offer value and ensure repeat custom. Security and speed matter greatly too during this mammoth sales opportunity, with those that prepare well, having a far better shot at a successful Black Friday season," said Philippe Deblois, VP Solutions Engineering, Dynatrace.
Cyber security risks
Security concerns are also rising as cyber criminals seek to exploit increased online transactions and the surge in domain registrations that typically accompany this shopping period. Check Point Software Technologies research indicates a 93% increase in Black Friday-related domain registrations in October alone, with more than 330 new domains created in the first 10 days of November. Around one in eleven of these was classified as malicious. Additional sites referencing eCommerce giants such as Amazon and AliExpress have also proliferated, with 1,519 new registrations identified in October and 1 in every 25 posing an active threat.
This activity often employs systematic naming conventions, local language adaptation, and template-based websites, frequently enabled by generative AI tools. Security experts recommend that retailers monitor spikes in domain registrations, bolster endpoint protections, and deploy external risk management tools. Such measures are necessary to identify and shut down fraudulent sites, and provide guidance to staff and customers about potential phishing attempts.
Shopper experience
The stakes for retailers are particularly high at this time of year, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday representing a critical window for sales figures. Digital properties that fail under the pressure risk losing business to more resilient rivals. Achieving seamless access, transaction speed, and robust security for every customer interaction is now a baseline requirement rather than a differentiator.
"For many retailers, the fourth quarter can be the difference between making or missing sales targets. To take full advantage of every minute of the season, retailers must ensure that shoppers can access their digital properties anytime and anywhere to make purchases. This includes popular shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where if a shopper is not able to log in or checkout because the retailer can't handle the number of visitors to their digital properties, then they are most likely to buy from a retailer whose site is running smoothly instead," said Ping Identity.
Retailers with customer identity management in place are better positioned to personalise services and prevent fraud, contributing to both sales volumes and customer trust.
"Behind every promotion and sale is a complex web of AI, data, and cloud technologies that must co-exist seamlessly, especially as traffic increases. These spikes can be a threat to stability, but also offer significant revenue opportunities when a seamless user experience turns surging demand into sales. As these ecosystems grow more complicated, it becomes more challenging for retailers to have complete visibility, resilience and operational readiness over their operations. This year, pressure is on. According to Dynatrace's latest analysis, only 22% of global sites are currently optimised for mobile user experience, up 15% from last year. Although the improvement is significant from last year's Black Friday, shoppers are still likely to suffer from a substandard buying experience. In order to be best prepared, retailers need to have fast, easy-to-use sites which offer a smooth experience between browsing online and picking up in-store. Testing systems beforehand to handle increased traffic and manage stock smartly, is crucial for companies looking to offer value and ensure repeat custom. Security and speed matter greatly too during this mammoth sales opportunity, with those that prepare well, having a far better shot at a successful Black Friday season," said Deblois.
