Dec 28 2023

Unlocking success: Unbxd's stellar performance in the 2023 shopping season

Trishna Menon

Marketing Manager


The symbiotic relationship between the holiday season and ecommerce is undeniable. As consumers embark on a shopping spree, retailers strive to create a seamless and efficient shopping experience. A critical player in achieving this harmony is a product discovery solution, the virtual compass guiding users through the vast digital aisles.


As the holiday season of 2023 unfolded, the reliability of site search solutions became a decisive factor in shaping shopper experiences. While some site search solution providers experienced service breakdowns this holiday season, Unbxd not only weathered the storm but excelled, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted shopping experience for nearly 64.3 million shoppers. 

Unbxd demonstrated its capability to handle increased traffic by processing 5k requests per second with no downtime, averaging nearly 4.5k requests per second at any given time.

Unraveling the website traffic influx: Unbxd 2023

The increased website traffic handled by Unbxd during the 2023 holiday season is more than just a numerical uptick; it's a direct response to the intensified demands of the festive shopping landscape.

Device-based usage also sees an increase in traffic when compared to the week before the shopping season.

Many site search and product discovery solutions face latency issues while handling the surge in traffic. This often stems from an inadequately scaled front-end infrastructure, which fails to support the sudden rise in user visits. Additionally, third-party or vendor-related problems contribute to system downtimes, where external entities struggle to maintain the necessary operational stability. Moreover, bot traffic exacerbates the overall load on the system, compounding the challenges.

How did Unbxd ensure no service downtime?

While multiple factors are involved, the main ones are our investment in infrastructure and technology and a strategic approach to scalability.

Ensuring scalability

Unbxd's commitment to an uninterrupted user experience is embedded in the very architecture of its system. Our tech teams meticulously design the platform to scale horizontally. This empowers Unbxd to handle surges in traffic seamlessly during peak periods without compromising performance.

Fortifying reliability with redundancy and failover mechanisms 

In the event of a component failure, backup systems seamlessly take over, mitigating any potential impact on overall service availability. This strategic redundancy ensures a resilient infrastructure capable of weathering unforeseen challenges.

Navigating traffic with Load Balancing

Another key element in Unbxd’s strategy is Load Balancing. By intelligently distributing incoming traffic across multiple servers, load-balancing techniques prevent any single server from becoming overburdened. This not only enhances stability but also contributes to a consistently high level of performance during peak usage.

Preventing challenges with proactive monitoring

Proactive monitoring is a systematic and ongoing process employed by Unbxd to regularly assess its system's overall health. This approach enables timely detection of potential issues, empowering the company to address and resolve issues before they have a chance to escalate, ensuring a more reliable and efficient performance.

Disaster Recovery

Netcore Unbxd's recovery solution assumes control of the failover process, which is the transition to backup systems in case of a primary system failure. The system automatically identifies when the primary cluster encounters issues and smoothly redirects requests to ensure continuous and uninterrupted website operation. 

Routine maintenance and updates

Engaging in regular maintenance and updates is a fundamental practice aimed at ensuring the optimal performance of our service. By strategically scheduling these activities during low-traffic periods, we minimize disruptions to our customers, allowing us to seamlessly enhance the system's efficiency and introduce improvements without compromising user experience.

Security measures in place to safeguard operational continuity

Unbxd implements robust security measures to safeguard against cyber threats and ensures not only the operational continuity of the system but also the integrity of user data.

Performance Optimization

Unbxd consistently enhances its software and infrastructure to maximize resource efficiency. This involves refining search algorithms, reducing query processing times, and resolving potential bottlenecks impacting overall system performance.

And finally,

Customer Support and Communication: A Pillar of Trust

Acknowledging that challenges may arise, Unbxd places customer support and transparent communication at the forefront. This commitment extends to proactive notifications to clients, ensuring they are apprised of any unusual traffic surges that may impact their website, fostering a collaborative approach to issue resolution.

Why Unbxd's Performance Matters

Evaluating Unbxd's performance during the bustling shopping season is not merely an exercise in metrics; it unveils a nuanced narrative of adaptability and impact. Several crucial dimensions emphasize the pivotal role Unbxd plays in shaping the success trajectory for ecommerce retailers.

Surge in Conversion Rates during the holiday season

Desktops maintain their relevance with a high conversion rate of 9.4%.

While mobile devices may have a lower conversion rate than desktops, we may see a significant rise in the coming year with the introduction of mobile-friendly swiping-like features for recommendations and an AI chatbot to guide shoppers to the right products.

Unbxd Conversion rate performance for specific industries

In dissecting the conversion rates across specific sectors, the holiday season's surge to 12% in Fashion and apparel and 8% in Home Improvement compared to their year-round counterparts denotes Unbxd's contextual intelligence. The platform adeptly responds to the unique demands of the festive season, providing tailored solutions, for example, the ability to create customized SEO-friendly landing pages that resonate with users' heightened expectations during this crucial period.

Navigating a boost in purchase orders in 2023

The increased percentage of orders compared to those in 2022 is a testament to Unbxd’s strategic understanding of meeting the diverse needs of a broad customer base. It indicates the ability to adapt strategies, optimize digital experiences, and leverage consumer insights and preferences, ultimately leading to higher purchase orders. Understanding the unique dynamics of each sector is paramount, and Unbxd facilitates retailers in tailoring their merchandising strategies based on sector-specific demands.

Quadrupling the Holiday Season revenue benchmark
US Benchmark for revenue growth during the holiday season (Non Unbxd)

The US benchmark for revenue growth rate during the holiday season is 6% to 11% in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Standing tall at nearly 4x the benchmark rate, Unbxd shows a whopping average of 25% to 38%. 

The significantly higher rise in revenue and Average Order Value (AOV) can be attributed to the retailer’s ability to capitalize on opportunities, respond to market trends, or optimize internal processes. This is made possible with an intuitive visual merchandising workbench empowered by AI algorithms to determine the most effective strategies aligned with the business objectives. This can involve boosting high-value products or pinning new products that can be personalized to the shoppers’ affinities. 

Unbxd’s robust technology infrastructure

Netcore Unbxd's cutting-edge technology offers enterprise-grade security and ensures a seamless discovery and personalization experience across its global network. 

The advantage of Unbxd lies in its highly scalable infrastructure, microservices-first approach for interruption-free edits, redundancy elimination for maximum reliability, bulk feed upload without disruption, and a managed recovery solution. 

The perfect partner for seamless retail success

Unbxd, recognised as a leader in commerce search by Forrester, serves as a valuable option for retailers seeking a reliable product discovery solution. It is distinguished by its ability to sustain uninterrupted service, even in situations of extreme traffic peaks.

Conclusion: Unbxd's Holiday Magic

As the ecommerce landscape continues to evolve, Unbxd's performance during the shopping season stands as a testament to its efficacy in meeting the dynamic needs of retailers and consumers alike. Weathering challenges that befell other site search solution providers, Unbxd showcased remarkable scalability, redundancy mechanisms, and proactive monitoring, ensuring uninterrupted service for 64.3 million shoppers. By empowering seamless navigation, optimizing conversions, and accommodating diverse device preferences, Unbxd emerges as a reliable ally in the ever-competitive world of online retail.


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