Last week, Nordstrom Rack and Costco experienced website outages during the peak holiday shopping season, highlighting the need for modern database technology to handle increased traffic. Industry watchers estimated that Costco's day-long website issues cost the company nearly $11 million. Ensuring a reliable website is crucial in today's age of social media and high customer expectations. Companies should invest in upgrading their database technology to avoid losing customers and profits during peak shopping periods. Preparing for major events requires certainty that websites and apps can handle increased traffic, and the right database can help achieve this goal.