While Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021 didn’t break records for ecommerce sales, the numbers still showed that online shoppers were out in full force. A return to in-store shopping, global supply chain issues and the continuing pandemic were all cited as likely key factors in the small drop in online shopping numbers this year. Black Friday online sales dipped slightly from last year, going from $9 billion to $8.9 billion. Cyber Monday sales saw a similar decrease, with $10.7 billion in online sales, down from $10.8 billion last year.
The data from Sovos’ global tax rate calculation engine and database further shows that while there may have been a slight dip in ecommerce sales, it is far from being an unpopular option.
On Black Friday this year, Sovos had a 22% increase in line item count from 2020 and a 12% increase in transaction count. Cyber Monday transaction volume increased by 10% compared to 2020 numbers.
Sovos has prioritized investing in products and infrastructure to ensure seamless performance during these peak spending periods. From 24/7 monitoring to the state of Active/Active in place, Sovos teams are constantly working to give clients the best experience possible. This was recognized during Black Friday and Cyber Monday as uptime was 100% with an average response time around 100 milliseconds.
Sales and use tax remains, even as shopping trends fluctuate
Regardless of labor shortages, supply chain issues or a global pandemic, October through December are traditionally heavy shopping months. Sovos treats every day like its Black Friday or Cyber Monday, as any day could be the busiest day of the year for someone’s business.
That’s why it’s critical for times of record sales to still feel like “business as usual.” Companies want to know that they will have uninterrupted, reliable and fast service. As ecommerce shopping continues to remain a top option for shoppers, Sovos Sales and Use Tax clients had customer needs met and met quickly.
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