Now that the dust has settled on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2024, it’s time to take a hard look at what went wrong—and how to get it right next time. Delivery promises, once a cornerstone of retail reliability, faced significant strain this peak season. From missed expectations to outright delays, broken promises hurt not just immediate sales but long-term customer trust.
Here’s what we’ve learned from Black Week and how you can prepare for BFCM 2025.
Why Delivery Promises Fail During Peak Season
Peak season puts extraordinary pressure on logistics networks, exposing inefficiencies that remain hidden during quieter periods. This year, the average delivery promise stretched to nearly six days, and late deliveries surged by 70% compared to regular weeks. But what’s behind these failures?
Order volumes during Black Week soared, with retailers struggling to manage the influx. Those who hadn’t optimised backend systems found themselves bottlenecked, unable to handle spikes in demand. As highlighted in our ERP slacking during peak article, real-time inventory updates and seamless warehouse integrations are essential for meeting peak season challenges.
Carrier networks, overwhelmed by the surge, prioritised high-value or express shipments, leaving standard deliveries delayed. For many retailers, limited diversification of carriers compounded these delays, as they had few fallback options.
Meanwhile, poor demand forecasting left some businesses unprepared for shifts in delivery preferences. For instance, parcel lockers and in-store pickup gained popularity this year, but many retailers were slow to capitalise on these trends, relying heavily on traditional home delivery methods instead.

Adding to the complexity was the trade-off between sustainability and speed. Nearly half of shoppers opted for sustainable delivery options, but these frequently came with longer timelines. Retailers that failed to communicate these trade-offs effectively found themselves facing dissatisfaction, even when they technically met their promises.
The Long-Term Impact of Broken Delivery Promises
Delivery issues don’t just hurt peak-season profits—they damage your brand’s reputation for the rest of the year. The erosion of trust is perhaps the most significant fallout. When a package arrives late or not at all, customers remember.
Peak seasons also attract new customers, drawn in by discounts and promotions. But failing to deliver a seamless experience turns these newcomers into one-time buyers. The cost of acquiring new customers becomes wasted when poor logistics drive them away, leaving retailers to battle negative reviews and declining loyalty.
Even the most loyal customers have their limits. Delivery failures during the peak season can overshadow years of reliable service, making customers more likely to explore competitors. This isn’t just a short-term loss—it’s a blow to the lifetime value of your customer base. Recovery demands more than discounts or apologies; it requires consistent, dependable service to rebuild trust.
Preparing for BFCM 2025
Getting delivery promises right isn’t just about fixing logistics during the rush. It’s about building systems and processes that can adapt to the challenges of peak season while maintaining trust year-round. Investing in backend optimisation should be a priority, ensuring that systems like ERP can handle demand surges. Automation of inventory updates, integration with multiple carriers, and redundancy across operations can make all the difference.
Diversifying delivery options is equally critical. Offering a mix of fast, sustainable, and flexible methods—like parcel lockers and named-day delivery—caters to a broader audience and reduces strain on any single system. Transparency is key to building trust. When setting delivery expectations at checkout, shoppers are more forgiving if timelines are communicated clearly and trade-offs are explained.
Using data from last year’s performance is invaluable for identifying bottlenecks and planning ahead. Trends such as the increased popularity of parcel lockers can inform next year’s strategy. Additionally, post-peak follow-ups can turn a bad experience into a redeemable one. Addressing delivery issues directly, whether through loyalty perks or thoughtful outreach, helps retain customer goodwill.
Final Thoughts
BFCM isn’t just a sales opportunity—it’s a litmus test for your entire operation. By addressing the root causes of delivery failures and focusing on long-term customer satisfaction, you can turn peak season challenges into a competitive advantage.
As we look ahead to 2025, the question isn’t whether you can attract customers during Black Week. It’s whether you can keep them coming back. Will your delivery promises be part of the problem—or the solution?