The Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend is the main event for e-commerce in Quebec. A tidal wave of traffic is coming, and your preparation will determine if you hit record revenue or get overwhelmed. To prepare Shopify for Black Friday in Montreal is the most critical project you’ll undertake this year.
A winning BFCM strategy in Quebec isn’t just about big discounts; it’s about ensuring your website infrastructure can handle the massive influx of customers, in both French and English, without a hitch.
Let’s analyze the strategy of a major Quebec-based brand, known for its passionate community, to see how they approach Shopify high-traffic scaling in Quebec for their biggest sales events.
Disclaimer: Eulav Grow is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a partner of DAVIDsTEA. This analysis is based on publicly available information as of September 2025 and is for educational purposes.
The Analysis: How DAVIDsTEA Manages Traffic Spikes
The Brand: DAVIDsTEA, the specialty tea company based in Montreal. Their loyal customers anticipate their Holiday collections and Black Friday sales all year, leading to massive, concentrated traffic peaks.
1. The Foundation: Enterprise-Level Bilingual Infrastructure
DAVIDsTEA’s primary tool for managing huge traffic spikes is an enterprise-level platform like Shopify Plus, which allows them to scale Shopify for high traffic in Quebec.
- Why it Matters: For a brand with a huge bilingual community, the platform must be robust. Shopify Plus provides the unlimited bandwidth to keep the site fast, and its multilingual features ensure a seamless experience for both Francophone and Anglophone customers.
- Logistics Integration (3PL): A huge part of scaling is fulfilling orders. DAVIDsTEA’s back end is deeply integrated with 3PL partners. Shopify Plus allows for robust API connections, ensuring that stock levels are updated in real-time.
2. The Pre-Sale Strategy: Controlled Launch
DAVIDsTEA builds enormous anticipation and then controls the release of that energy to protect its site and reward loyal customers.
- Email and SMS Sneak Peek Access: They leverage their mailing lists to give early access to their most loyal customers. This is a brilliant technical strategy that staggers the traffic load.
- Clear Social Media Communication: They use their social channels to communicate the exact start time of the sale. This creates a huge initial spike but also allows their technical team to be on high alert.
The Verdict: Your BFCM Checklist
You can use the DAVIDsTEA robust playbook to prepare yourself.
- Test Your Integrations: Contact your key app partners and 3PL to understand their capacity.
- Test Both Language Versions: If you have a bilingual store, test the complete user journey in both languages.
- Segment and Stagger Your Launch: Split your email list into segments (e.g., VIP customers, general list) and send them out in waves to manage the traffic load.