How These 5 eCommerce Companies Are Handling Black Friday Customer Support

A staggering 71% of customers expect a response within only five minutes on Black Friday. 

With this challenge in mind, as the peak season looms ahead, customer support teams need to be prepared for the influx of support queries on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday to deliver exceptional customer experiences.    

With careful planning, learning from the examples set by ecommerce industry leaders like Amazon or Walmart, and implementing a solid Black Friday ecommerce strategy, your team will be able to meet and exceed customer expectations.  

5 eCommerce Companies Setting the Standard in Black Friday Customer Service

A successful BFCM campaign comes down to preparing the support team to handle a high call volume and deliver a fast response time.

According to the graph below, Black Friday spending will keep climbing, which means support teams will face surging inquiries. Without preparation, long wait times and missed responses can quickly lead to frustration and churn. Companies that invest in fast, scalable, and personalized Black Friday customer support will turn the rush into stronger customer loyalty instead of lost sales.

We have selected five major ecommerce companies to show you how to prepare for Black Friday ecommerce rush using their examples as a guide. 

Amazon

First on our list, the massive ecommerce giant, Amazon, has mastered its support during seasonal peaks, making this company an ideal candidate to observe and learn from. 

By mixing different promotional and marketing strategies and ensuring a good website layout for seamless navigation, Amazon was able to increase its Black Friday eCommerce sales by 222.43% compared to sales in the days prior. 

It’s not just sales that grow during peak seasons, it’s also the number of tickets. To scale its customer support, Amazon leans heavily on automation: AI chatbots and conversational assistants help triage basic queries (order tracking, returns, FAQs), freeing human agents to focus on escalations. When staffing a call center for Black Friday, they spread shifts across geographies and time zones dynamically as demand changes.

Amazon emphasizes omnichannel support — across chat, email, phone, in-app messaging. Behind the scenes, the company keeps a close eye on wait times and agent workloads in real time, so they can quickly shift resources before queues pile up. Clear escalation rules for refunds or shipping problems mean no request gets stuck in limbo. 

And before the big day, they stress-test their entire support system — from warehouse integrations to CRM tools — to make sure it can handle the holiday surge without breaking.

Walmart

Walmart’s marketplace set its highest single-day sales ever during the Nov 25 – Dec 2 shopping period in 2024. With their sales growing year to year, the number of tickets might follow. So, the company had to come up with a strategy for Black Friday customer support: In 2024, Walmart+ members received a five-hour head start on deals. By spreading sales over multiple events (instead of one massive spike), they eased pressure on support. 

They’re also investing in AI-powered support assistants that can not only parse customer intent, but take actions like finding orders or managing returns. This reduces the load on human agents by automating routine tasks. 

Walmart’s additional Black Friday ecommerce tips for support include:prioritizing the customer experience for online shopping will help to retain customers. A cluttered website will most definitely cause customers to leave, thus impacting overall revenue.

However, creating a clear landing page with filterable categories will help direct customers instead of causing them to generate queries, which eats up valuable time for your team. curbside- or in-store pickup helps reduce the number of logged returns. Consumers are able to see the product before making payment, thus reducing the need for returns. 

Apple 

Similarly to Walmart, Apple chooses to carry out their promotional activities over a few days instead of one. But instead of discounts, they offer a gift card according to the size of the purchase made. The card can be used at a later stage, which is excellent as a remarketing strategy in ecommerce customer retention. 

Here are some tips from Apple to handle Black Friday ticket surges: 

Omnichannel Support —  during the Black Friday period, particularly, Apple places specific emphasis on prioritizing omnichannel support, starting with the availability of multiple support touchpoints:

• Apple Support App: a centralized hub for help with Apple experts, offering easy communication with support teams. 
• Online Support: troubleshooting made possible via chat, phone, and email.
• In-store Genius Bar: expert one-on-one service for hardware and software issues. 

Operational Readiness — Apple also ensures that its online and in-store systems are prepared for the surge in traffic by maintaining inventory and offering in-store pickup or expedited shipping for high-speed delivery. Customer expectations are managed using clear, proactive communication and accurate timeline strategies. 

Best Buy

Best Buy is one of the largest electronics retailers in the US, and Black Friday is its biggest stress test each year. With millions of shoppers online and in stores, support demand spikes sharply. To handle this, Best Buy relies on automation and proactive communication. 

Before Black Friday, they flood their website and app with detailed FAQs, how-to videos, and troubleshooting guides for common product issues, reducing the number of tickets that ever reach an agent.

When customers do need support, Best Buy leans on AI-powered chatbots that resolve simple queries such as order status, delivery timelines, or warranty details. This automation shortens wait times and ensures human agents are available for complex problems like payment issues or tech support.

Best Buy also reinforces staffing during peak hours with flexible scheduling, bringing in seasonal agents trained specifically for Black Friday rushes. Finally, they monitor ticket queues and service KPIs in real time, shifting resources where pressure is highest.

Alibaba

Alibaba is one of the world’s largest ecommerce ecosystems operating as a B2B platform connecting verified suppliers across industries. Here’s how the company prepares for Black Friday.

By leveraging advanced AI tools, Alibaba streamlines customer inquiries at scale. Its ICS-assist platform, for instance, handles over 230,000 cases per day, delivering real-time recommendations that boost agent efficiency, improve resolution and coverage rates, and raise customer satisfaction scores.

Alibaba follows a ‘new retail’ approach that blends online and offline experiences to elevate customer service. By connecting ecommerce with physical stores, customers can browse, order, or collect products in person, ensuring consistent interactions and faster issue resolution — especially critical during high-demand periods like Black Friday. 

 Black Friday eCommerce Customer Support Strategies

With the right planning, the holiday rush can turn into an opportunity. Proactive measures help manage the influx of inquiries while ensuring customers still enjoy a positive shopping experience.

With that in mind, let’s explore the following strategies to help deal with the upcoming rush.

1. Scale Support Capacity in Advance

The holiday rush often overwhelms unprepared support teams, but this can be avoided with careful planning. Adding seasonal hires and using flexible scheduling ensures coverage at the busiest times. To succeed, train new agents in common customer concerns, such as:

• Delivery timelines and delays
• Payment issues and failed transactions
• Return and exchange policies

When support teams are equipped to handle these areas, wait times shrink, and customers are left with a smoother, more reliable experience.

2. Leverage AI and Self-Service Tools

AI chatbots and self-service options will help you reduce pressure on live agents by instantly resolving repetitive queries. Automated systems can handle tasks like tracking orders, processing returns, or answering FAQs. When getting ready, you should:

• Prepare knowledge bases with answers to expected holiday questions
• Test and refine automated responses well before the rush
• Balance automation with human support for complex issues

This combination ensures efficiency while maintaining a personal touch when customers need it most.

3. Strengthen Omnichannel Consistency

Customers expect seamless interactions no matter how they reach out — whether by chat, email, phone, or social media. To meet this demand, you need integrated systems that capture conversations across all channels. A unified approach will ensure your customers don’t have to repeat themselves, reduce frustration, and speed up resolution. 

Consistent tone and quality across platforms will also build trust, which is especially important during the hectic shopping season. Omnichannel readiness will create a smoother journey for customers while helping support teams work more effectively.

4. Monitor Metrics in Real Time

When customer requests peak, waiting for end-of-day reports won’t cut it. Real-time monitoring of key support metrics will allow you to spot problems early and shift resources before queues build up. 

For example, if chat volumes surge, agents can be temporarily moved from other channels to help. Reviewing this data after the rush also highlights recurring issues to address for future sales events. Continuous visibility ensures teams remain agile, and customers feel confident that their concerns are being handled quickly and effectively.

5. Outsource Customer Support 

A support strategy can only be as good as the team that is implementing it, which is why choosing a trustworthy support vendor is essential for your customer support strategy. 

SupportYourApp can boost your customer satisfaction with 24/7 omnichannel support and our ecommerce call center outsourcing services. As you’ll see from our recent ecommerce case study — we helped reduce the email response time for Kurzgesagt to 12 minutes and obtain a CSAT score of 4.95. 

Here’s a list of trustworthy companies for assisting with your ecommerce support in 2025. And be sure to consider our Black Friday ecommerce checklist to determine if the selected vendor meets your needs. 

Post-Black Friday Support Tips

Once the shopping rush ends, it’s crucial to refine your customer support approach to keep satisfaction high and build long-term loyalty. Below are three practical ways to manage the post-sale period effectively.

1. Tackle Returns and Refunds Proactively

After the shopping frenzy, returns often surge — especially for fashion, electronics, and seasonal items. Make the process clear, fast, and transparent. Provide customers with pre-filled return labels, self-service portals, and automated status updates so they don’t need to contact support repeatedly. Empower agents with clear refund policies and escalation paths to reduce back-and-forth. 

The smoother the returns experience, the more likely customers will shop with you again, even after the chaos of Black Friday.

2. Analyze Support Data for Insights

Post-event, review Black Friday ecommerce trends to identify common pain points — whether they’re about shipping delays, payment failures, or product confusion. Use QA reports, CSAT surveys, and first-contact resolution rates to spot where your team struggled most. 

These insights can guide improvements to your knowledge base, FAQs, and AI assistants before the next sales peak. Turning post-event analysis into actionable change helps you reduce future ticket spikes and increase customer satisfaction long term.

3. Re-Engage Customers With Personalized Support

Post-Black Friday customer engagement is a chance to turn one-time buyers into repeat shoppers. Don’t let support conversations end with ticket closure. Follow up with personalized thank-you messages, product care tips, or recommendations based on purchases. 

Proactive outreach, like sending a reminder about warranty registration or offering a discount on complementary products, transforms one-time buyers into loyal customers. Customers who feel remembered and valued after Black Friday are far more likely to return for Cyber Monday, holiday shopping, and beyond.

Summary

Black Friday brings with it a surge of customer queries, with shoppers expecting fast and reliable support. To meet these demands, ecommerce leaders, along with their support teams, should adopt proactive strategies to turn the pressure into opportunities. 

Success in the peak season lies in preparation, automation, and empathy, ensuring customers feel valued during the rush. After the sales, strong support around tracking, returns, and refunds helps maintain loyalty and extend the customer relationship beyond the holiday season.

FAQs

Why Is Black Friday Customer Support Important for Ecommerce?

As one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year, BFCM drives high sales and revenue opportunities while providing the opportunity for improved brand loyalty and retention if customer support is handled effectively. 

What Are the Biggest Black Friday Customer Support Challenges? 

The biggest challenge is the high influx of support queries, which comes accompanied by the speed of response. This can snowball if agents do not respond quickly enough, leaving customers to move on and abandon their order, resulting in a loss of loyalty and sales. 

How to Prepare for Black Friday in Ecommerce?

Preparing for Black Friday involves ensuring staff are trained and equipped with the appropriate software, implementing AI automation, updating your website, and applying a customer-centric approach to improve potentially complicated processes.  

What to Consider When Staffing a Call Center for Black Friday? 

The most important consideration for staffing on BFCM is the anticipated call volume to ensure that the influx of queries can be dealt with timely and effectively. After this comes training, tools, and employee support. 

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