During Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) last year, Stripe processed up to 152,000 transactions per minute. That activity reveals how peak season commerce is changing: demand is concentrating into fewer, spendier days, fraud attempts are becoming more sophisticated and sustained, and buy now, pay later is playing a bigger role in how shoppers buy.  Using Stripe’s transaction data from the 2025 holiday shopping period, this guide highlights three trends shaping peak season and what they mean for businesses preparing for the 2026 rush.