Retailers are halfway through what’s often dubbed the “golden quarter” of October to December, in a year that is unlike any other in recent history. In the run up to the highly anticipated Black Friday, and as we all prepare for Christmas and New Year, many shoppers are poised and ready to make the most of online offers and causing some of the busiest days in the year for the internet.

We’ve seen internet traffic volumes are already more than 50% higher than they were this time last year. Traffic on the internet usually grows 20-30% year over year, so 2020 stands out. But thanks to the work of large internet backbone operators, such as GTT, and our peers collaborating to resolve any internet capacity issues that initially arose in March, the internet is now in a strong position to cope seamlessly with this year’s anticipated online shopping surges. This means faster web browsing for online shoppers when they go to access retail websites as there is less likelihood of traffic congestion over the public internet.

Alongside this, learnings from the initial traffic surge caused a number of businesses with online presence to rethink and upgrade their existing IT infrastructure by opting for new networking approaches, such as SD-WAN, to make their networks simpler, more direct, and more reliable. At GTT, we’re working with retailers such as KOOKAI to deploy managed SD-WAN and connectivity services, supporting their digital business strategy for enhancing in-store and online experiences. Teaming up with a partner to understand the potential benefits of software defined networks can be key for retailers seeking to deliver a frictionless customer experience.