Springfarma.com, the online division of the Spring Farma pharmacy chain (part of the Catena group), achieved remarkable results during Black Friday 2024. On the first day alone, the platform recorded sales that were double those of the previous year, experiencing a significant increase in both traffic and order volume.

This success was the result of a strategic partnership with Innobyte, Romania’s leading eCommerce agency, which meticulously prepared the platform to exceed ambitious targets while maintaining a seamless user experience.

 

The Challenge: Increasing Capacity Without Compromise

With goals set for record-breaking growth, Spring Farma needed a partner capable of ensuring its infrastructure wouldn’t just survive the Black Friday rush but thrive under pressure. The project required:

  • Supporting traffic volumes 4x higher than average days.
  • Managing a catalogue of 350+ special offers (a 40% increase from 2023).
  • Ensuring 100% uptime during high-intensity live shopping events.

 

Our Strategy: Preparation, Risk Management, and Scaling

1. Audit and Infrastructure Optimization

Starting in August, the Innobyte team evaluated the Springfarma.com infrastructure from the ground up. We implemented:

  • Server Capacity Expansion: Scaling resources to meet projected demand.
  • Auto-scaling Solutions: Ensuring the platform could breathe and expand dynamically as traffic spiked.
  • Real-time Monitoring: Constant status updates every 2–3 days to track performance improvements.

2. Rigorous Stress Testing

To eliminate guesswork, we conducted simulated stress tests that mimicked real-world consumer behaviour—including rapid clicking and high-concurrency checkout flows. This allowed us to identify and fix potential bottlenecks months before the first customer arrived.

3. Risk Register and backup plan

A core component of our success was the development of a detailed Risk Register. We prepared for worst-case scenarios, including:

  • Inventory synchronisation failures.
  • Payment gateway interruptions.
  • Power outages or network failures.

For every risk, a robust backup plan was established to ensure business continuity no matter what happened behind the scenes.

“Our goal was to prepare the platform not just to sustain high visitor volumes, but to provide a fluid and fast buying experience without interruptions,” says Cătălin Bordei, Managing Partner at Innobyte.

 

Live Event Success: 26 Orders Per Minute

During the campaign, Spring Farma hosted a high-profile live event featuring four top influencers on Instagram and TikTok. The event triggered a massive traffic peak, reaching 26 orders per minute at 19:43. Thanks to the scalable infrastructure prepared by Innobyte, the platform handled the surge with zero latency or errors.

 

The Results

The collaboration delivered record-breaking numbers:

  • 2x increase in total orders compared to Black Friday 2023.
  • 45% growth in total sales value.
  • 100% stability during peak traffic hours.

“Our collaboration with Innobyte allowed us to exceed our sales goals and ensure an optimal experience for our customers. We succeeded in building a solid, scalable platform adapted to market demands.” Ioana Radu, Brand Manager at Springfarma.com

 

Looking to scale your eCommerce business?

At Innobyte, we turn technical challenges into growth opportunities. Contact us today at [email protected] to prepare your platform for the next big event.