Does Flow place a real order?

No. It goes as far as the payment page and stops there. It pays nothing and only enters test values. The client’s stock and accounts are untouched.

Do I need to install a plugin on the shop?

No. Flow opens the shop like a visitor, from the outside. Nothing is installed on the client’s site, which also matters during an update freeze.

Isn’t uptime monitoring enough for the weekend?

It tells you whether the server responds. A cart that rejects a promo code or a payment button that leads nowhere both respond normally. Keep Ping for availability, and add Flow on the checkout.

How long does it take to cover twenty shops?

On a recognised WooCommerce, Shopify or PrestaShop shop, Lumi builds the Flow in under two minutes, then you approve it. The assistant can also handle an agency’s sites in one batch.

November 2026

Black Friday: check the checkout of every client shop before the big day

AgenciesJourneys

By Simon RaynaudFounder of Pathly · 4 min read · November 3, 2026

Black Friday falls on 27 November. Here is the technical checklist to make sure every client shop can still take orders, before and during the weekend.

For a shop, the Black Friday weekend can weigh as much as a whole month. A broken cart that Saturday costs more than on any other day. And the client is often the first to notice, when sales suddenly stop.

One week before: freeze updates

Most carts that break in the middle of a sale break after an update. Apply the last CMS, theme and plugin updates no later than the Friday before. Check the checkout right after. Then nothing changes until Cyber Monday, except an urgent security fix.

The technical checklist, shop by shop

Add to cart: on a simple product and on a product with variants (size, colour). One variant out of stock must not block the others.
Promo codes and sale prices: the Black Friday code applies, and the total shown in the cart is correct.
Shipping: every delivery zone and carrier offered to shoppers returns a price.
Payment: the gateway is in live mode, not test mode, and the button really leads to the payment provider’s page.
Pop-ups and banners: the promo pop-up or cookie banner does not cover the Add to cart button, especially on mobile.
Certificate and domain name: nothing expires during the weekend.
Order confirmation email: place a real test order and check that it arrives, outside the spam folder.
Hosting: warn the host about the expected peak, and check that the cache does not serve a stale cart.

What the checklist cannot cover: the weekend itself

A checklist says everything worked on Thursday evening. It says nothing about Saturday at 3 pm, when the payment provider changes a script, a plugin updates itself or a stock level hits zero. The server still responds, the home page loads, and an uptime tool stays green. Only a journey replayed to the end catches it.

That is what Flow is for. A real browser opens the shop, adds a product to the cart, checks that the total is above zero and goes all the way to the payment page. It pays nothing and only enters test values. If a step breaks, you get the alert with a screenshot of the failing step, before the client calls you.

One Flow per shop, in a few minutes

No need to write a script for each client. Lumi, the Pathly assistant, recognises WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop and WordPress and builds a Flow in under two minutes. Every suggested Flow is replayed before you see it, and you approve each step. On other sites, an AI hosted in the EU reads the page structure to suggest the journey.

Over the weekend, run the Flow more often on the shops that matter most. On the Pro and Business plans, a Flow can run every five minutes. Each run uses browser minutes: the Pricing page gives the volume included in each plan.

The schedule, from 20 to 30 November

Friday 20: last updates, then freeze. A Flow is in place on every shop.
Tuesday 24: the checklist above, shop by shop, with a real test order.
Thursday 26, evening: promo codes are live, and the Flow turns green again after they go online.
Friday 27 to Monday 30: higher frequency, alerts on the phone of whoever is on call.
After Cyber Monday: the monthly report shows the client that their checkout held up.

Does Flow place a real order?: No. It goes as far as the payment page and stops there. It pays nothing and only enters test values. The client’s stock and accounts are untouched.
Do I need to install a plugin on the shop?: No. Flow opens the shop like a visitor, from the outside. Nothing is installed on the client’s site, which also matters during an update freeze.
Isn’t uptime monitoring enough for the weekend?: It tells you whether the server responds. A cart that rejects a promo code or a payment button that leads nowhere both respond normally. Keep Ping for availability, and add Flow on the checkout.
How long does it take to cover twenty shops?: On a recognised WooCommerce, Shopify or PrestaShop shop, Lumi builds the Flow in under two minutes, then you approve it. The assistant can also handle an agency’s sites in one batch.