This year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday experienced the highest transaction and sales rates in their history. Black Friday saw an approximate 22% increase in sales, reaching $9 billion and Cyber Monday hit $10.8 billion in sales, up nearly 15% from last year, setting the record for the largest U.S. online shopping day ever. As e-commerce has become more and more ingrained in our daily lives, it’s no surprise that online activity for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday has increased. 

Here at Sovos ShipCompliant, the data from Sovos’ global tax rate calculation engine and database, supports this trend—with transaction volumes reaching seven times higher than average.

Here at Sovos ShipCompliant, the data from Sovos’ global tax rate calculation engine and database, supports this trend—with transaction volumes reaching seven times higher than average.

Furthemore , on Cyber Monday, our tax determination engine experienced  its highest volume ever, with about 46 million line items calculated, a 169% increase over 2019. In addition, 13 million transactions were counted, a 202% increase over 2019. On Black Friday, the number of line items calculated increased 211% compared to 2019, and the volume of transactions increased by 197% when compared to 2019.

Sovos’ global tax determination system continued to perform seamlessly and conduct  calculations within milliseconds despite the larger-than-ever number of transactions. The response times met or exceeded performance expectations even with line item calculations reaching almost 37 million on Black Friday and 46 million on Cyber Monday.

A positive indicator for wine producers

For wineries and online wine retailers, October, November and December are traditionally busy months, with a spike in sales and direct-to-consumer shipping due to the holidays and gift-giving season. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the engine calculated about 343,000 line items for Sovos ShipCompliant clients—an indicator that consumers are continuing to purchase wine online. 

Article by Delaney McDonald | December 4, 2020 | Sovos ShipCompliant