Online retailers struggled to cope with the volume of traffic as consumers rushed to retailers for the start of the Black Friday shopping frenzy.
Reports of problems began to surface at midnight, as buyers attempted to snare bargains at the online stores of some of the UK’s major retailers.
The sites of Tesco, Game and Argos all struggled to cope with the volume of traffic. Some retailers, including Curry’s, implemented a queuing process for people attempting to visit the site.
Michael Allen, vice president at application management specialist Dynatrace, said Black Friday has put added pressure on digital channels and that even the largest brand web sites have struggled to cope.
"These failings directly impact both top line revenue and brand perception. Customers today are as likely, if not more, to shop online or with their mobiles as they are in-store," he said.
Allen referred to Dynatrace research that suggests more than a third (34 per cent) of UK consumers will do most of their shopping online, while a further 31 per cent will use a combination of mobile, online and in-store (31%).
Black Friday is traditionally an American shopping day but it has gained popularity in the UK in recent years.
More than one in three families will do their Christmas shopping this Friday, according to research by Microsoft and Retail Week, making it the biggest shopping day so far this year.
