Best Buy has alerted some customers that it will not be able to fill their online orders, just days before Christmas. 
 
 The largest U.S. specialty electronics retailer said late Wednesday that "overwhelming demand for some products from Bestbuy.com has led to a problem redeeming online orders made in November and December. 
 
 The Minneapolis company declined Thursday to specify how many orders are affected or which products are out of stock. 
 
 The shortages are a black eye for Best Buy, which has beefed up its online campaign to fight off intense competition from online retailers and discount stores. And the holiday season is crucial for retailers like Best Buy because it can make up to 40 percent of annual sales. 
 
 Some glitches should not be a surprise with such a massive surge in online shopping this year, analysts said, but there is a risk of a backlash. 
 
 "It is a hiccup for the company," said Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy. "They were kind of behind the curve building out their online channel. They've done a good job investing in it, but if you make a lot of rapid changes, inevitably there are going to be growing pains." 
 
 The canceled orders probably won't make a big difference for Best Buy's holiday sales this year, but it may lead to more customers looking elsewhere in the future, he said. 
 
 "The risk is any consumers affected by canceled orders will be willing to explore other alternatives for online shopping in years to come," Hottovy said. 
 
 Online sales are up 15 percent to $32 billion so far this holiday season, while total sales are up just 2.5 percent. 
 
 Even though online sales are a huge boon for retailer, the shift has already created some problems. Discount retailer Target Corp's site crashed in September because of overwhelming demand for Missoni for Target, a limited designer line of clothing, home goods and accessories. 
 
 Best Buy benefitted when its now-defunct rival Circuit City went out of business more than a year ago, but its suffering as Americans hold off on big ticket items and search for deals online and at discounters. 
 
 In order to compete, Best Buy has expanded its online offerings, cut back on square footage in the U.S. by closing stores and sought to expand internationally. In its most recent third quarter ending Nov. 26, Best Buy said its net income fell 29 percent as it cut prices in popular categories such as tablets and TVs to drive sales and traffic during the holiday season. 
 
 Best Buy shares rose 8 cents to $22.96 in midday trading. ||||| Best Buy's website suffered sporadic technical issues throughout the Thanksgiving weekend, creating an extended outage during one of the year's busiest shopping periods. 
 
 After a litany of shopper complaints engulfed the retailer's Facebook and Twitter feeds late Friday afternoon, the company initially attributed the blackout to heavy traffic. However, consumers were still complaining about the lack of service early Saturday, suggesting the problem could be more serious. 
 
 
 
 "BestBuy.com has experienced record levels of website traffic," according to a company statement issued Friday evening. "This has affected site performance and we have temporarily taken the site down in response. We are taking measures to restore full performance of the site as quickly as possible." 
 
 
 
 Read MoreMillions of shoppers snatched up Thanksgiving deals 
 
 
 
 The website continued to face challenges Saturday morning, as some users were unable to purchase items they'd selected. @BestBuySupport, one of the retailer's verified Twitter handles, suggested online shoppers try checking out on the mobile site instead. 
 
 The site also experienced issues around 9 a.m. Thursday morning when CNBC tried to load it, and separate media reports noted that it also was down late Wednesday night. 
 
 Upset shoppers took to the retailer's Facebook page to vent their concerns. 
 
 "Well, after a good few hours of setting up what I'm gonna get for my first potentially amazing Black Friday..... you crash," a Facebook user named Sean Martin wrote. "If you intend to be one of the leaders among sales in technology and electronics. ....... maybe, just maybe you should know how to run tech."
– If you're waiting on Best Buy to ship a last-minute Christmas gift, better check your email. The retailer is informing customers that it can't fill all online orders, reports the Chicago Tribune. It's not clear yet how many will be affected. One analyst chalks it up to a big surge in online buying this year but warns that unhappy customers may think twice about going with Best Buy next time around, notes AP. (Customers are seething at an online forum.) Part of a company statement: "Due to overwhelming demand of hot product offerings on BestBuy.com during the November and December time period, we have encountered a situation that has affected redemption of some of our customers' online orders. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused, and we have notified the affected customers."