Now that the holiday season in the U.S. has officially kicked off, MasterCard’s Worldwide Network is helping our cardholders and retail partners ensure that their card will work every time they find the perfect sweater, video game or any other gift. By all accounts, Black Friday deals were a hit among U.S. consumers this year. Have you ever stopped to think about just how quickly and seamlessly electronic commerce has made the holiday shopping experience?
Looking at just Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday:
- MasterCard saw a 26.2 percent increase in worldwide transactions processed over our network, as compared to same period in 2011
- The MasterCard Worldwide Network averaged more than 4 million transactions per hour from noon to 5:00 p.m. EST
- The busiest hour was 3:00-4:00 p.m. EST when we saw more than 1,200 transactions per second – roughly 25 percent higher than the busiest hour on Black Friday last year
We recognize that we’re only as strong as the confidence our customers have in our network. As a technology company, you’d expect us to have a network that has 99.999% uptime. We’ve got that, while completing transactions faster than the blink of an eye – 130 milliseconds to be exact. Making sure things happen quickly and reliably may seem like table stakes, but we’ve put in 46 years of effort to deliver that service to merchants and issuers each and every day. And, this reliability is even more important during this peak shopping season.
We’ll share additional insights throughout the holiday season through this blog, as well as through our SpendingPulse activities. In the meantime, take a moment to understand all of the perks and benefits your MasterCard may provide – from rewards points to access to exclusive experiences in our global Priceless Cities program. There are other perks your card may offer that can come in handy during your holiday shopping:
Now that you understand how we’re helping you this holiday season, we’re curious – what’s the must have gift on your list this year?