Black Friday Sales Splash Creates Data Surge

Data transfer traffic is already surging across Australia as many online retailers jump the gun and promote Black Friday Sales early this year.

Australians are set to spend a record $6.7B during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, according to Roy Morgan Research.  An increase of 5.5% on last year, this level of spending will mean Black Friday has well and truly eclipsed Boxing Day as Australia’s top shopping event of the year.

50% of Australians plan to participate in the annual sales splurge, according to Future Publishing Australia’s inaugural Consumer Confidence Report. Of these, 45% plan to find their Black Friday deals online.

Data Transfer Tsunami

The surge in sales will in turn create a tsunami of data transfers, as businesses transact, process orders, and share a variety of e-commerce files with their supply chain partners. 

For some businesses – those still using outdated file sharing technologies like email and FTP – this will be a hugely stressful period.  They’ll need to be hyper vigilant for lost orders, failed file transfers, and man-in-the-middle hack attacks. 

Other businesses - those taking advantage of modern, automated file transfer technologies such as Managed File Transfer (MFT) - will surf the data tsunami with ease.  MFT will comprehensively address the risks and challenges of moving information, both within their organisation, and with external suppliers, partners and customers.

Through centralised control, encryption, automation and auditing, MFT will provide the security, efficiency, reliability and scalability that FTP and email never could.

“Cyber Trust”

Consumer trust in retailers’ e-commerce transactions will be an even more important factor in eventual sales numbers this year.  High profile hacks of consumer data over the past 12 months are leading consumers to question the security of a company’s systems before handing over credit card and other information.

Companies will need to be able to provide reassurance – and proof – that transactions and personal data will be secure.  Companies with MFT will be better able to provide that reassurance, keeping a clean history as responsible guardians of customer data.

Shopper Shift

Chris Ferguson, commercial director APAC at Future Publishing Australia, described the popularity of Black Friday in the local market as a “pivotal” change in the retail landscape.

“Consumers are increasingly drawn to the prospect of early savings and the convenience of online shopping, so retailers anticipate and accept this new reality to capture their share of the market.”

He said that, despite the current economic climate, his research showed Australians remained committed to their festive spending plans. 56% of Australians still plan to spend the same amount as last year on Christmas gifts, while 21% intend to spend even more.

Australian Retailers’ Association CEO Paul Zahra said retailers were “pulling out all the stops to ensure they have the best product lines and gift solutions, customer service offerings and enhanced online platforms to make shopping during this peak season more seamless than ever.” 

He said most discretionary retailers expect to make up to 66% of their annual profit during peak season.

Surf the Tsunami

Generic Systems Australia are Australia’s experts in deploying Managed File Transfer and other layered defences, such as Advanced Threat Protection. We routinely help local organisations better manage their file transfers, seamlessly scaling up to meet the heightened demands of sales events like Black Friday.

If you’d like to discuss how we can help you, please feel welcome to contact me.  I’m always happy to have an obligation-free chat and explain how simply we can level up your file transfer approaches.  I can even arrange a simple, zero-cost Proof of Concept.