An independent study suggests that seasonal traffic spikes bring down around 40% of ecommerce websites in the United Kingdom. The report was produced by
Cogeco Peer 1, a colocation, managed hosting, cloud and managed services provider based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It suggests that retailers lose “millions” during the busiest online shopping periods. It also suggest that 48% of UK retailers are not “completely ready for seasonal peaks” and 58% admitted to “page speed issues” in 2016.
A subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc., Cogeco Peer 1 offers a range of products and services including colocation, network connectivity, managed hosting, cloud services and managed services. The company has a presence in Canada, Mexico, the United States and Western Europe. Its report was based in a survey of more than 100 decision makers at UK ecommerce companies.
The report suggests that peak times include periods when online discounts and promotions are offered. These include Easter, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day. The report went on to suggest that in 2016 over £7 billion in sales were generated during these periods, meaning huge losses for ecommerce sites experiencing outages. As the revenues generated during these periods represent a significant percentage of overall revenue, for many companies maximising on seasonal peaks is “often the difference between making the black and sinking into the red”.
“Retailers and brands are facing considerable challenges when selling online: from how to compete with the likes of Amazon and how social media is transforming shopping; to harnessing the power of automation and maintaining a uniform, effective online presence 24/7,” explained Cogeco Peer 1’s Vice President and General Manager, EMEA, Susan Bowen. “The figures in the study highlight the need for UK retailers to act if they are to take full advantage of the revenue opportunities available during seasonal peak spending periods.”
Do you know of any other companies offering insightful reports? Let us know the details. Add your comments below.
