Forrester

Why Read This Report

The stakes do not get any higher for retail eBusiness professionals than during the holiday season. For many retailers, margins from Q4 revenue alone will make or break their annual goals, and online traffic volumes can exceed in one hour those normally seen in an entire summer month. To meet this peak demand requires meticulous planning and rigorous testing across the eBusiness function to ensure that technology, back-office processes, and the supply chain are ready to deliver during the holiday period. Some retailers refer to this as the "make the holidays" program and getting it right is critical. Not only is the customer increasingly unforgiving of underperforming or unavailable sites or mobile experiences, but the stakes to the business means that senior management will be looking over your shoulder and hitting the site in the middle of their meetings. eBusiness professionals are well aware of the pressure that the holidays bring — the most seasoned leaders create a plan to prepare for the holidays that starts in January and includes carefully planned phases throughout the year. It's not too late to audit your approach to holiday 2011.