THE RUNDOWN:
- Taking place in November, Black Friday is a month-long sales extravaganza that Australians now spend months anticipating.
- In 2024, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) noted that November retail sales increased by 3% year-on-year, with Black Friday cited as a key factor.
- As pressures like cost-of-living have increased, shoppers are using these peak sale periods for larger purchases and Christmas gifting.
20 years ago, if you asked someone in Australia what ‘Black Friday’ was, they’d probably describe the 1989 fires that ravaged Victoria. If you asked them what the biggest sales event of the year was, they’d describe celebrities like Miranda Kerr ringing bells on Boxing Day.
But those traditions are mere memories now as Black Friday expands its influence to Australia, where the shopping event has become a cultural phenomenon in and of itself.
Taking place on the last Friday of every November, it’s transformed into a month-long sales extravaganza that Australians now spend months anticipating.
In 2024, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) noted that November retail sales increased by 3% year-on-year, with Black Friday cited as a key factor. The total national turnover was $37 billion. But, how and when did Black Friday become such a cultural phenomenon in Australia?
Read: The Best Early Black Friday Deals To Shop Right Now
How Black Friday Became An Australian Tradition?
The origins of Black Friday trace back to the 1800s in America, where the term was first used to describe a day in 1869 when two investors caused a stock market crash after attempting to corner the gold market. It gained traction again in the 1950s, when Philadelphia police used the term to describe the mayhem that ensued on the Friday after Thanksgiving as holiday shoppers descended on stores.
In an attempt to give Black Friday a more positive rebrand, retailers shifted things again in the 1980s, when they suggested it was the day when sales pushed their businesses from being “in the red” (operating at a loss) to “in the black” (operating at a profit). By the 2000s, it was the biggest sale event of the year for the U.S.
In Australia, where Thanksgiving obviously isn’t celebrated as an annual holiday, ‘Black Friday’ was originally associated with the 1939 bushfires that killed 71 people in Victoria. That started changing when international retailers began growing and extending their Black Friday sales to our shores in the 2010s.
By 2018, the sales event was starting to eclipse Boxing Day, generating over $400 million in sales between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. That figure tripled within a year, with 2019 seeing an estimated $4 billion in sales.
Interest has continued to grow over the past five years, with Google Search trends showing year-on-year growth. Finder’s 2024 Consumer Trends Report found that more than nine in ten Australians now shop Black Friday sales, spending an average of $722.
“Black Friday has built a phenomenon-status in Australia and last year we were shipping 2 items per second,” says Joanna Robinson, Chief Marketing Officer at THE ICONIC. “This time of year is no longer individual moments on their own but more like a marathon of sales with Click Frenzy, Fake Friday rolling into Black Friday, Cyber Monday and then onto Boxing Day.”
Now, the sales consume the entire month, rather than occupying a single day or weekend. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian retail turnover rose 0.8 per cent in November 2024.
“Black Friday sales events proved once again to be a big hit, with widespread discounting and higher spending across all retail industries,” Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics, said in a media release. “The popularity of Black Friday sales continues to grow with promotional activity now stretching across the entire month of November, not just solely focused on the Black Friday weekend.”
The Psychology Of The Sale
While it’s easy to understand why people are attracted to a sale on a purely financial level, there’s also a psychological explanation for the popularity of an event like Black Friday. When we see a reduced price tag, a chemical reaction takes place in our brain. Specifically, the part of our brains that deals with pleasure (the nucleus accumbens) is activated.
According to Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, Professor of Consumer Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, the nucleus accumbens also plays a role in emotional processing, mostly with the help of dopamine. “When people see pictures of things they wish to buy, the region of the brain with dopamine receptors is activated,” she wrote for The Conversation. “They get a dopamine “hit” when shopping, so feel good about what they are doing.
Couple this with the fact that dopamine also makes people more impulsive in their decision making, and it is easy to understand why consumers get excited about discounts.”
From Splurging To Smart Spending
Over the past five years, the spending trends have also changed. As pressures like the cost-of-living have increased, shoppers are being more intentional with how they choose to participate in Black Friday.
As hosts of the hit finance podcast, Two Broke Chicks, Sally McMullen and Alex Hourigan began a spreadsheet where they compile all of the best Black Friday sales each year. It’s become an integral tool for thousands of their audience, helping to find the bargains that are genuinely worth it. “We’re not going to tell shoppers that 10% off is a good deal when it’s not, so we comb through the internet and prioritise sales that are actually worth shopping,” they tell marie claire. “We have more of a quality over quantity approach to it now.”
When asked what they think is driving the Black Friday craze, the hosts circle back to the realities of our current economic climate. “The cost of living is the thorn in everyone’s side,” McMullen and Hourigan note.
“Paying full price is just not possible for a lot of people and getting a good deal is high up on the wish list. The number #1 thing people are shopping for during Black Friday is Christmas presents and if you can save hundreds of dollars on that, why wouldn’t you? On top of that, bills, rent, even toilet paper is at the top of the shopping list now with many not having much room for the fun things.”
What It Says About Us Now?
It’s undeniable that Black Friday has changed how Australians shop. The popularity of Black Friday signals how discounts and sales have become central to the way we shop today. But as we prepare for Black Friday 2025,
it’s important to keep intention front of mind. “[Don’t] let the FOMO consume you,” advises McMullen and Hourigan. “Go into Black Friday with a wish list, a budget and a handbrake. Pull that handbrake if you start to feel yourself simply scrolling through a sale section “just because” you might find something you like. Chances are you don’t need it or want it. The best deal is the purchase you actually use, like, and knew you wanted all along.”
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What Date Is Black Friday In Australia?
Black Friday 2025 is on Friday November 28, with deals usually rolling through the weekend and into Cyber Monday on December 1st.
But there are often early Black Friday sales in the days or even weeks before the date. So it’s best to keep your sales radar up, wish-lists primed and check back here for updates on your favourite brands.
How Much Can I Save From Black Friday Sales?
A LOT, with some brands offering up to 80% off items during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. This year, for example, we’ve seen offers of up to 80 per cent off with brands including Showpo, Petal & Pup, Wynn Hamlyn and The Dom.com, just to name a few.
With some Black Friday sales ending and some Cyber Monday sales starting, we’ll be updating these lists with deals you can shop now – as well as ended deals that can give you an idea of just how good Black Friday sales are (for next year).
Is Black Friday Or Boxing Day Better In Australia?
Historically, Boxing Day has held the title as the biggest sale day of the year in Australia. But in recent years, the upsurge in Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s popularity has seen the traditionally American sales weekend surpass Boxing Day.
So for many retailers Black Friday is now the biggest sales event of the year. According to the Australian Retailers Association (ARA): “Black Friday, has reshaped retail dynamics in Australia. Marking a significant uptick in sales, it catalyses a surge in consumer spending, contributing to record-breaking retail turnovers.”
Analysis from the ARA in early 2024 also showed that Australians spent more in November than they did in December.
“The rising popularity of Black Friday also impacted December’s trading, with many Australians opting to purchase their Christmas gifts earlier during the major sales event in November,” said Paul Zahra, the ARA CEO at the time.
Given Black Friday sales fall before Christmas, a time when most people are typically spending beyond their usual habits, many brands have begun taking part with great deals.
Courtney Thompson
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