Q4 in eCommerce - 6 steps to win the peak season

Table of contents:

• Step 1: Speed up your store before your competition does
• Step 2: Add modern payment methods - Buy Now Pay Later
• Step 3: Utilize AI and customer service automation
• Step 4: Make sure your coupons and promotions work
• Step 5: Conduct an audit and protect yourself against Omnibus risk
• Step 6: Secure SLA and technical support for critical times
• Want to be sure your eCommerce is ready for Q4?

The fourth quarter is a crucial sales moment for eCommerce that can determine the entire year's results. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the holiday season, and winter sales accumulate into several intensive weeks, generating in some industries even several dozen percent of annual turnover.

According to GUS, the share of Polish eCommerce in retail sales reached 8.7% in June 2025, and online sales value increased by 8% year-over-year (omnichannel news.pl). Such dynamics during the summer period, which is typically weaker for the e-commerce market, may mean that during Q4 peak, online stores can expect an even larger sales peak.

That's why it's so important to dedicate the last weeks before Q4 to thorough preparation and testing of your store. During the peak season, there's no room for technical errors, non-functioning discounts, or extended support response times. In this article, we present 6 key areas worth verifying before the season starts - so you can maximize its potential.

In the fourth quarter, fast store performance becomes a necessity. Increased traffic, intensive promotional campaigns, and a large number of simultaneous server queries can significantly reduce site performance - which directly translates to conversion. According to the Adyen Index: Retail Report 2025, as many as 39% of Polish consumers abandon their purchase if the order completion process takes too long (Gazeta MSP).

The foundation of technical Q4 preparation is taking care of frontend performance and UX. The key starting point is Core Web Vitals - a set of Google indicators that set the standard for user experience quality. These determine whether a store loads quickly, responds smoothly, and remains visually stable.

CWV optimization affects both search engine visibility and actual customer behavior. So it can be said that this is now the foundation of technical eCommerce. You can read more about this in our article: Hyvä - Magento 2 frontend. Why are more and more stores choosing this solution?

Load testing is equally important. Checking backend performance, server response times, or infrastructure behavior at maximum load allows you to avoid a crisis at the peak moment.

Special attention should also be paid to checkout. An overly complicated form or lack of convenient purchasing options can discourage a potential customer from completing the transaction at the last stage.

In Q4, besides a wide offer and attractive promotions, flexible payment methods are also crucial. More and more customers expect the ability to use Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) - instant purchase with deferred payment or splitting it into 0% installments.

According to Autopay data, BNPL share in Poland increased from 8% to 12% over two years (rp.pl). Meanwhile, Klarna research (2025) shows that over half of Poles have used this form of online shopping financing, and 71% declare that it helps them better manage their budget (inwestycje.pl). This shows how quickly BNPL evolved from a novelty to a standard in the daily shopping process.

From an eCommerce perspective, the benefits are measurable: higher average cart value, fewer abandoned transactions, and higher conversion in mobile channel. During peak season, BNPL can be the element that determines why a customer chooses your store.

You can read about practical aspects of BNPL implementation and its impact on sales in our article: Buy Now Pay Later - deferred payments in the service of eCommerce.

Increased traffic, thousands of customer inquiries, and pressure for fast delivery mean that traditional customer service departments quickly reach their capacity limits. That's why more and more companies are reaching for AI and automation, which allow maintaining service quality and scaling processes without proportional cost increases.

Chatbots and voicebots can instantly answer repetitive questions: about order status, product availability, or return policies. This allows consultants to focus on more complex matters, and customers get answers within seconds - regardless of the time of day and working hours. According to Gartner forecasts, by 2027, even 25% of companies will use chatbots as their main customer service channel (botpress).

Personalization is also gaining importance. Algorithms analyzing purchase history and user behavior can recommend products that best meet their needs. In a season of intensive promotional communication, it's precisely the accuracy of the offer that can determine conversion.

Automation also supports logistics. AI allows forecasting demand and optimizing inventory levels, so stores can avoid stock shortages at crucial moments. This is not only a better customer experience but also a reduction in costs associated with excessive inventory.

Companies implementing artificial intelligence in customer service and inventory management report measurable effects: lower operational costs, shorter response times, and higher consumer satisfaction levels.

Promotions in Q4 have special significance - from Black Week to December sales. But even the most attractive offer won't work if the discount system fails at the crucial moment. That's why before the season starts, an audit of promotional mechanisms is necessary.

The most common problems we observe in eCommerce during increased traffic are:

• discount codes that don't work or expire prematurely,
• lack of promotion visibility in cart and checkout,
• ability to stack discounts (e.g., combining multiple coupons, leading to unplanned losses),
• differences in communication - different prices in mailings than on the store site.

It's also worth remembering that an attractive promotion is more than a "magic" -10% discount. Customers expect real benefits: free shipping, product bundles, or exclusive offers for regular customers. Loyalty clubs are also gaining importance, where discounts and promotions are available exclusively to registered users. This not only builds brand loyalty but also increases purchase repeatability.

And finally - despite the most elaborate marketing strategy, without properly functioning technical mechanisms, even the best promotions won't fulfill their role. If a coupon doesn't work, the page shows an error, or the cart price doesn't match, the customer will simply choose the competition.

The Omnibus Directive was created as a response to the growing number of unfair practices in online commerce. Its goal is greater transparency and consumer protection - especially during periods of increased promotions, such as Black Friday or holidays.

Most attention is drawn to the obligation to provide the lowest price from 30 days before the discount, but the new regulations cover much more areas. In practice, this means the need to verify whether the store meets the following requirements:

• Price reductions - every promotion must include information about the lowest price from 30 days before the reduction, and communication should be consistent across all channels (email, social, banners, cart).
• Reviews - it's required to inform whether and how the authenticity of reviews is verified (e.g., "review confirmed by purchase"); buying or hiding negative reviews is prohibited.
• Seller identity (marketplaces) - consumers must have clear information about whether the transaction is concluded with an entrepreneur or a private person, and who is responsible for its execution.
• Offer placement/search results - it's necessary to disclose the main parameters affecting the order of presented products (e.g., popularity, price, sponsorship) and clearly mark paid offers.

Ignoring these obligations means not only the risk of losing customer trust but also real sanctions - from several dozen thousand zloty to even 10% of the company's annual turnover. An audit conducted before Q4 allows reducing risk and implementing corrections before increased traffic reveals potential errors. Detailed discussion of requirements and a checklist of steps can be found in our eBook: What the Omnibus Directive Changed in eCommerce?

During peak season, every downtime means loss of revenue and trust. The foundation of stability is SLA - a service level agreement that precisely defines platform availability, response times to reports, and maximum incident duration. Well-defined SLA minimizes risk, shortens failure resolution time, and maintains sales fluidity.

The SLA effect also includes operational practice: constant monitoring, team readiness, and clear incident handling procedures. As a result, operational stability, environment security, and customer satisfaction increase, and KPI achievement becomes measurable and predictable.

In the context of Q4, SLA should specify at least:

• response and repair times for individual priority levels,
• error classes and incident qualification criteria,
• continuous monitoring and dedicated reporting channels and escalation path,
• service windows, communication rules and service quality reporting,
• scope of responsibility and penalty/compensation mechanisms for delays,
• billing model (e.g., SLA subscription + billing for repair work).

Monitoring and quick response are crucial. Proactive alerts regarding availability, response times, application errors, or integration health allow you to react before the problem becomes visible to customers. In practice, minutes count, not hours. You can find more about SLA at: SLA Agreement - guarantee of uninterrupted online store operation.

A contingency plan is also essential. When load exceeds assumed thresholds or failure occurs, "Plan B" scenarios should be ready: automatic resource scaling, traffic switching to backup environment, limited functionality mode for elements that burden the system most, and in extreme cases - procedures for manual order acceptance until full availability is restored.

The last quarter is a moment that can decide the entire year's sales result. During this time, there's no room for errors. Sometimes minor technical or process oversights can cost more than an entire marketing campaign.

At Advox, we help stores get through this period safely and effectively: we identify critical areas, eliminate risks, and implement solutions that increase stability and conversion. Now is the last moment to implement corrections - contact us and see how we can help you.