By Carolyn Duby (pictured), Field CTO and Cyber Security Lead at Cloudera
Retailers across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) are entering the busiest retail period of the year with renewed optimism. Consumer sentiment is improving after a period of uncertainty driven by inflation pressure and shifting household budgets. Optimism alone, however, is not enough. In today’s data-driven economy, the retail companies that succeed are those that think and act like technology companies.
Modern retail runs on data – from inventory management to fraud detection, every customer interaction produces information that can either strengthen performance or create risk. During peak shopping events such as the festive shopping season, the volume of data multiplies and the risks grow higher. Retailers that put visibility and control at the centre of their data practices are better prepared to scale, maintain security, and deliver the seamless experiences ANZ customers now expect.
The pressure is only intensifying as regulatory scrutiny increases in the wake of high-profile breaches, prompting regulators to increase audits and enforcement, particularly within the financial services sector. In this environment, every click, transaction, and digital interaction carries both opportunity and risk.
Scaling for Peak Seasons
The biggest challenges of the holiday peak season are scalability, fault tolerance, and low staffing. Online and in-store traffic often surges several times higher than normal levels, and this increased load can trigger outages or slowdowns that are difficult to recover from. Outages are costly – from lost revenue to eroding customer satisfaction when shoppers can’t complete their purchases.
This pressure is especially acute for transaction processing and fraud detection systems, which must stand up to massive spikes in volume. To stay resilient, data management systems must be able to handle the extra load and prevent downtime that leads to abandoned carts.
Data lineage helps identify breaks in data pipelines quickly, enabling teams to restore operations with minimal disruption. A unified view of data access and activity across hybrid and multi-cloud environments further eliminates blind spots and ensures that sensitive information is continuously monitored and protected.
Defending Against Heightened Cyber Risk
Retailers are prime targets for cyberattacks during the holiday season due to high transaction volumes and the sensitive nature of the data they hold. Attackers seek personal information that can be sold on dark web forums. The PwC Voice of the Consumer Survey 2024 notes that 74% of Asia-Pacific consumers are concerned about privacy and data-sharing, and 50% are not comfortable purchasing via social media.
Closer to home, a 2025 Ping Identity survey reveals that 82% of Australian consumers are more concerned about personal data security than five years ago, and only 11% fully trust organisations to manage their identity data – underscoring the need for robust privacy and governance.
Fraud and theft also surge as criminals exploit the distraction of the holiday rush. According to Adyen’s 2025 Retail Report, over a quarter (25%) of Australian retailers lost more than AU$1.3 million to fraud in the past 12 months, while 31% anticipate a rise in fraudulent attacks during the peak shopping season. The attack surface is vast – retail stores, distribution centres, online platforms, and even delivery trucks are increasingly connected through IoT devices.
Vulnerabilities in poorly secured devices can provide attackers with an entry point. At the same time, many retailers struggle with legacy systems and thin margins, making it challenging to keep pace with evolving threats. In such an environment, every breach erodes consumer confidence and brand equity – turning cybersecurity from an IT issue into a business imperative.
To retain loyalty, retailers must demonstrate that they use data responsibly. Strong governance and a zero-trust architecture are essential. Secure-by-design systems limit exposure, while unified governance frameworks ensure that data security and compliance are enforced consistently across hybrid environments.
Investing in Modern Retail
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are essential for improving demand forecasting, personalisation, and fraud detection. Cloudera powers both historical and real‑time data, each critical to retail success.
Historical data trains demand forecasting models and reveals customer behaviour, while real‑time ingestion enables instant decisions: spotting anomalies, approving transactions, and delivering offers the moment they matter.
In retail, timing is everything. A delayed offer loses impact, and lagging fraud detection risks major losses. Real‑time visibility ensures retailers act fast, protect revenue, and build trust.
Success today depends on responsible data use, scalable systems, and customer confidence. As holiday peaks near, retailers that prioritise visibility and governance will win loyalty and drive growth.
Act now. Harness the power of real-time data-driven solutions to gain visibility, reduce risk, strengthen customer trust and stay ahead of the competition.
