Total online holiday sales are forecasted to hit $240.8 billion this year, an 8.4% increase from 2023 (USA Today). For some of our customers, this season means billions in revenue. With all of this pressure, what are business leaders doing just two days before the big holiday shopping season kicks off? 

To find out, I reached out to everyone in my rolodex (or the digital equivalent) who would take my call. Some replied via text, others through quick calls, and most through introductions from mutual connections. Here’s what they shared about their final preparations: 

Chief Technology Officers: Observability and Readiness 

One CTO told me most of their work was already done, but they were overseeing last-minute stress testing to ensure the system could handle peak traffic. Observability was key—they were running tests with full observability tools turned on. This ensures that if something goes wrong, they can quickly detect the issue and identify its root cause. 

Gerry Palaganas, Global Head of Managed Services at AAXIS, provided a helpful checklist for observability during peak traffic: 

• Web Analytics
• Application Performance Monitoring 
• Log Analytics 
• Tracing 
• Synthetic Metrics (like order drop-off points) 

He stressed the need to have transparent observability across the organization. He also stressed having historical data from prior months and seasons readily available for comparison. 

Security was also top of mind for most CTOs. They were also having their team closely monitor bot traffic during the holiday season to ensure that legitimate buyers receive priority access and an uninterrupted shopping experience. 

Rajeev Hans, CTO at AAXIS, highlighted two unique challenges during the holidays: timed events and traffic load. While most focus on traffic load, timed events (like scheduled content updates or pricing changes) can cause unexpected spikes. He recommended reviewing all scheduled jobs to ensure they don’t interfere with peak hours. Additionally, he advised tweaking configurations like cache policies, session timeouts, and server memory settings to optimize performance. 

Another CTO shared the importance of a clear communication plan: “A war room-style setup with defined roles and responsibilities ensures rapid issue resolution and keeps everyone aligned. When every second counts, this minimizes confusion and ensures things get back to normal as soon as possible.” I couldn’t agree more. 

Chief Marketing Officers: Traffic Control and Omnichannel Alignment 

I don’t usually work with CMOs, but I managed to get insights from a few. One surprising insight? CMOs prepare for disaster scenarios just like tech teams. Why? They control the ad spend. If there’s an outage, they can pause campaigns to avoid wasting money on clicks that lead to broken experiences. Smart! 

Another CMO emphasized the importance of omnichannel consistency, saying: “Consistent messaging across all touch points builds trust, avoids confusion, and drives engagement.” AAXIS is still in the process of integrating their customer messaging across all of their channels. So, his team was double-checking that everything—timing, messaging, and promotions—aligned perfectly. 

Mobile was a big focus, too. With mobile traffic expected to surpass desktops this year, responsive design is critical. One CMO shared how their team was meticulously testing promotional links, landing pages, and simulating site behavior minute-by-minute during the critical hours of the season both of mobile and desktop.  

Chief Operating Officers: Inventory and Logistics 

The COOs I reached seemed a bit calmer but were still busy. One reminded me: “A happy customer isn’t just one who places an order; it’s one who receives their product.” He helpfully texted me a bullet list of things he was doing: 

• Real-time inventory tracking systems were connected and accurate. 
• Stock levels were verified, and backup inventory allocation plans were ready.
• Suppliers were prepped to handle surge demands. 

Another COO was reviewing warehouse operations and coordinating with logistics partners. He was big into data-driven decision-making. AAXIS had implemented a unified data aggregation platform for him, giving him a 360-degree view of all customer orders—from lead generation all the way to doorstep delivery. A little overwhelming for me, but he was loving it, using it to simulate various scenarios and develop contingencies. 

Final Thoughts
The holiday season is a make-or-break moment for many businesses, and leaders across departments are preparing in unique ways. From tech readiness and observability to marketing consistency and fulfillment plans, the common thread is proactive planning. With so much at stake, these leaders are leaving no stone unturned—and their efforts are what make seamless holiday shopping possible for all of us. 

What about you? What is your team doing to get ready for the holiday rush? Share your strategies, tips, or lessons learned in the comments—I’d love to hear from you.