Question 1

How far in advance should I start preparing?

Accepted Answer

Six weeks is comfortable for most stores. That allows time to find problems, make changes that carry some risk, test the unusual cases, and still stop changing things a week before the peak begins. Less than three weeks means accepting whatever you already have.

Question 2

Do I need to upgrade my hosting for a busy period?

Accepted Answer

Only if your traffic will genuinely exceed what your plan handles. The useful test is what happened last time: if a previous peak caused slowdowns and nothing has changed since, expect the same. Many hosts allow a temporary increase, which is cheaper than downtime during your best week.

Question 3

What should I test before a peak?

Accepted Answer

The unusual orders rather than the normal ones. A discount code, an order just above and just below a free shipping threshold, a refund, an international address if you sell abroad, and a subscription renewal if you have them. Then check the emails customers receive, on a phone.

Question 4

Should I pause plugin updates?

Accepted Answer

For the week or two before peak, yes, apart from urgent security fixes. Updates are important and belong in quieter periods. If a security update cannot wait, test it somewhere other than the live store before applying it.

Question 5

What do I do if the store slows down during the rush?

Accepted Answer

Watch rather than tune, unless orders are actively failing. Most damage during a peak comes from changes made during the peak. Note the problem, check whether payments are still completing, and address the cause once the pressure drops.

Question 6

How do I know if I am losing orders rather than just visitors?

Accepted Answer

Compare the number of checkouts started with the number completed, and watch for payment errors in your logs. A drop between those two points during busy hours usually means something is timing out rather than customers changing their minds.

Question 7

Is it worth running a sale if my store is slow?

Accepted Answer

It is worth fixing the obvious problems first. Driving traffic to a store that struggles turns a marketing spend into a bad first impression for a lot of people at once. Even a few hours of cleanup and image compression usually changes the outcome.

Question 8

What should I do the week after?

Accepted Answer

Write down what broke, what customers asked about repeatedly, and what staff fixed by hand, while it is fresh. Then unwind the temporary measures you put in place. That list is the single most useful input into next year's preparation.

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