Shopify Experiences Outages on Cyber Monday, Disrupting Retailers’ Sales
As shoppers flock to online stores to snag the best Cyber Monday deals, some retailers are facing an unexpected hurdle: technical issues with Shopify, the ecommerce platform that powers their online stores. According to Shopify’s support page, merchants are experiencing difficulties logging into the platform, with outages affecting the checkout and admin systems. Additionally, the platform’s point-of-sale (POS), API, and mobile and support systems are seeing “degraded performance,” which could further hinder sales.
Shopify has acknowledged the issue and is working to resolve it. In an update posted at 12:39 PM ET, the company stated, “We are continuing to investigate and apply mitigations for the issues with accessing Admins and POS systems.” The company also warned that some merchants may encounter problems with POS checkouts due to the inability to access POS systems. This is particularly concerning for retailers who rely heavily on Shopify’s platform to process transactions and manage their online stores.
The Impact on Retailers and Shoppers
Shopify’s outage is likely to have a significant impact on retailers who use the platform, including big-name brands like Netflix, Mattel, Supreme, Glossier, and Converse. With Shopify powering 12 percent of ecommerce in the US, according to a recent blog post, the outage could result in lost sales and revenue for affected retailers. Shoppers may also experience frustration and disappointment if they are unable to complete their purchases due to technical issues.
When asked for more information about the outage, Shopify directed Engadget to its status page and a tweet posted at 10 AM, which read, “We’re aware of an issue with Admins impacting selected stores, and are working to resolve it.” While the company is working to resolve the issue, the timing of the outage is unfortunate, given the importance of Cyber Monday for retailers and shoppers alike.
A Call for Transparency and Reliability
The Shopify outage highlights the importance of reliability and transparency in ecommerce platforms. As more retailers shift their focus to online sales, they need to be able to trust that their platform will be able to handle the demand. Shopify’s experience and expertise in the ecommerce space make it a popular choice among retailers, but outages like this one can erode trust and damage relationships with customers. As the company works to resolve the issue, it will be important for it to prioritize transparency and communication with its merchants and their customers.
