Black Friday is the ultimate stress test for ERP systems. Manufacturers and retailers use it to determine whether platforms are architected for real-time operational control or simply functioning as transactional record-keepers. As they confront unprecedented spikes in order volume, supply chain volatility, and constantly shifting consumer demand, the ability of ERP systems to handle issues has emerged as a defining measure of whether they are ready.
“Black Friday exposes whether an ERP is truly built for real-time control,” says Dan Abramson, SVP at Syspro. “Systems that can’t surface issues instantly create bottlenecks, significantly slowing operations at a time when every second counts. The manufacturers that thrive are those that use ERP as an early-warning system to act faster than the market can affect them.”
Peak periods also expose common failure modes that signal the architectural and workflow adjustments. According to JP van Loggerenberg, chief customer officer at Syspro, even a single disruption can ripple across operations. “Manufacturers and distributors need real-time telemetry and visibility across production, supply chain, and factory-floor systems,” he says. “Organizations that excel under high demand are those that can see what’s coming, predict and act quickly, and keep processes moving smoothly while maintaining control over operations and working capital.”
Keeping ERP Systems Accurate, Efficient
Inventory accuracy, long recognized as a chronic pain point, becomes a direct test of operational intelligence during high-volume events. “Any blind spot in multi-node fulfillment, whether upstream at a supplier or downstream in distribution, can lead to stockouts or delays,” Loggerenberg says. “Real-time supply chain visibility and embedded traceability give manufacturers and distributors the control they need over stock levels, production health and distribution.”
Accurate and actionable data, he adds, can turn peak-season pressure into operational confidence. Black Friday also reveals the growing importance of data governance as a pillar of ERP stability. At the same time, cybersecurity risk has increased as almost everything is connected to the internet.
“Temporary systems, seasonal staff, and remote connections further increase risk,” Loggerenberg says. “Governance gaps show up as operational disruptions and can damage brand and customer loyalty. The most impactful practices combine zero-trust principles with regular audits of remote access and endpoint security.”
Building on Black Friday Lessons
Using the post-Black Friday review as a way to examine what worked and what did not in an ERP system is an essential ritual for successful companies.
“After the rush, the focus should shift from output to insight,” Abramson says. “Manufacturers need to audit where visibility broke down, where supplier or internal bottlenecks emerged, and how temporary systems performed.”
Abramson adds the lessons learned from any Black Friday mishaps should translate into operational resilience. Teams that learn from their mistakes, he says, will be ready for any challenges that come their way.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
Real-time operational control is a defining benchmark for modern ERP scalability. Peak-demand events such as Black Friday separate systems built for proactive visibility from those confined to transactional processing. This shift signals clear implications for vendors and integrators: Product roadmaps must prioritize real-time telemetry, predictive disruption detection, low-latency data flows, and architectures that sustain rapid decision cycles across manufacturing and retail operations.
Data integrity and governance are equally critical for ERP stability. High-volume periods expose inventory blind spots, multi-node fulfillment gaps, and governance weaknesses that degrade performance and elevate cybersecurity risk. ERP vendors and retailers need to embed stronger data governance, traceability, zero-trust security principles, and audit-ready controls directly into cloud architectures and integration strategies.
Continuous post-event analysis is becoming essential to ERP modernization. Structured post-Black Friday evaluations reveal where visibility failed and where workflows, suppliers, or temporary systems created bottlenecks. This provides a roadmap for modernization initiatives and helps manufacturers and retailers make better decisions on scalability, partner alignment, systems integration, and operational readiness for volatile demand cycles.
