Patchworks data surges 320% as retailers extend BFCM peak

Patchworks reported a more than 320% year-on-year jump in data operations over the Black Friday Cyber Monday period in 2025, as retailers brought forward promotions and leaned more on multichannel sales.

The integration platform said activity flowing through its systems reached record levels during November. Black Friday activity alone rose by more than 300% compared with last year. Cyber Monday activity followed a similar pattern. Overall traffic in November grew by more than 130%.

The company said the growth reflected a broader customer mix and a longer peak season. It has onboarded more enterprise and blue-chip retailers over the past year. It has also expanded its partner network.

Existing customers, including many larger brands, reported sales growth of between 10% and 30% over the period. Patchworks processes data flows between systems such as eCommerce platforms, warehouse management, enterprise resource planning and point-of-sale software.

Jim Herbert, Chief Executive of Patchworks, said the latest peak put the platform under its highest operational load so far.

"We saw more than a threefold increase in operational activity this BFCM, which says as much about the retailers we now support as it does about peak trading itself. Enterprise brands, global partners and a growing US base all contributed to a far more complex landscape. Patchworks handled that pressure with full uptime across the month, being tested more than ever and coming out strong. Good operations are rarely talked about, yet they keep the whole retail ecosystem moving. This year proved how important that steady, unseen layer really is," said Jim Herbert, CEO, Patchworks.

Earlier buying

Patchworks said shoppers started peak season spending earlier than in previous years. Activity in the first week of November was up by more than 200% year on year.

Consumers moved more often between different digital and physical touchpoints. They shifted between marketplaces, brand-owned sites, social commerce and subscription services. This behaviour increased queries on inventory and pricing and raised the number of stock reservations and order creation events.

The trend also increased operational complexity for retailers. Businesses used a wider mix of fulfilment partners and more regional hubs. This led to more dynamic routing decisions for orders.

Marketplace activity grew. A greater variety of systems sat behind each retail journey. Each basket triggered more data events between ERPs, warehouse systems, order management tools, eCommerce platforms and point-of-sale systems.

System stability

Patchworks said its infrastructure remained stable throughout November despite the surge. The company reported uninterrupted uptime over the month.

It said autoscaling infrastructure absorbed rising traffic as volumes grew. It said optimised connectors kept data throughput predictable. It used real-time monitoring to maintain visibility over flows.

The orchestration layer continued to process events when upstream systems slowed or paused. This design allowed Patchworks to clear backlogs once those systems recovered. The company said this reduced disruption risk for retailers during peak periods.

Complex flows

Patchworks highlighted several connection types that saw the largest spikes in usage. Data flows between ERPs and eCommerce platforms and between warehouse management and order management systems were among the top drivers of volume.

Traffic from point-of-sale systems into ERPs also remained significant. Patchworks said this showed that in-store trading still has a strong influence on stock accuracy for omnichannel retailers.

The company said growth in composable technology stacks also pushed up both the volume and the frequency of data events. Under this model, retailers use a larger set of specialised systems.

As a result, iPaaS tools such as Patchworks have shifted into a more central operational role. They now sit as a core layer that links those different components, rather than acting as an add-on.

The fastest-growing flows also underlined how much manual work remains in many retailers' operations. Social commerce integrations showed some of the steepest growth rates. Marketplace integrations also rose strongly.

Legacy batch data transfer methods continued to appear in the traffic mix. Patchworks said this showed that many retailers still depend on slower or manual exchanges during the busiest trading period of the year.

Behind the scenes

Herbert said the data flows sit behind every visible sales spike.

"Behind every peak sales moment sits a huge amount of unseen work. Every order depends on inventory being accurate, systems agreeing on what is in stock, payments settling cleanly, and warehouses receiving the right instructions at the right second. When that behind-the-scenes engine is strong, retailers can focus on growth rather than firefighting. BFCM 2025 made it clear that reliable integrations do more than support sales. They make them possible.

"Our support team also delivered an exceptional peak, holding a 98% SLA and 100% CSAT during the busiest period of the year. It shows how much quiet, consistent work happens behind the scenes to give retailers the confidence to push harder during BFCM," said Herbert.