It feels like Black Friday sales in Australia get bigger every year. What started as a U.S. holiday promotion has become a major shopping event for Aussie retailers and business owners. Black Friday falls on the last Friday in November and traditionally marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. In 2025, Black Friday falls on 28 November.
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday sales mark the beginning of the holiday season when Australia business owners offer significant discounts and special promotions. Black Friday sales run until the following Monday, called Cyber Monday. In 2025, Cyber Monday is on 1 December. Many business owners begin Black Friday sales early in November and may extend them past Cyber Monday.
Why does Black Friday matter to business owners?
Black Friday matters because it’s the busiest shopping day of the year.
How big is Black Friday?
Black Friday tops both Boxing Day and EOFY sales events. It’s also bigger than Amazon’s Prime Day. Black Friday is the year’s biggest shopping event for most retailers in Australia. Cyber Monday had traditionally been for online shopping but is now part of the Black Friday blow-out. Both online stores and in-store retailers – in fact most retailers – now offer incredible deals in the time between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Australia Post’s latest eCommerce report says that Black Friday in Australia is now the biggest shopping event of the year. And it promises to be even bigger this year, according to both Deloitte and the Australian Retailers Association.
And that volume of customers in a concentrated time frame gives business owners the chance to:
- Increase the year-end revenue for your business.
- Clear out inventory before the next calendar year.
- Acquire new customers and begin building a long-term relationship.
What’s for sale on Black Friday?
The best Black Friday deals are often on big-ticket items like home appliances, new mobile phones, computers, TVs, tech accessories, and kitchen appliances. Discounts range from 25-30% off full price, but they can be as much as 40-60% off full price for items like laptops.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the most popular Black Friday discounts driving consumer sales have been on clothing, footwear, furniture, and household equipment.
Our top tips to prepare your business for Black Friday sales
Whether your business sells goods or services or is just looking for some great deals, you can take steps to prepare for Black Friday sales.
As a business owner selling items
Take these steps to provide the best Black Friday deals to your customers:
- Set goals
- Test your website
- Depend on your best sellers
- Create bundles
- Communicate with customers
- Reward customers
- Make the in-store experience festive
- Build a relationship
1. Set goals
What do you want to achieve in terms of business revenue or customer growth? Set clearly stated goals ahead of time.
2. Test your website
If your customers shop online or check your website for information, make it as user-friendly as possible. Test your website for speed, ease of checkout, and mobile optimisation.
3. Depend on your best sellers
Look at what sold the best over the year and focus on those goods or services for Black Friday sales deals. If you sell services, consider adding an incentive or offering an additional service rather than discounting them.
4. Create bundles
Does your business have items that naturally go together? Bundle complimentary products or services to increase your average sales value.
5. Communicate with customers
Let your customers know about your fantastic deals. Consider creating a dedicated landing page on your website to advertise your Black Friday deals. Use email marketing and social media. You may also want to partner with local influencers to get the word out.
6. Reward customers
Consider offering loyal customers special access to your store or exclusive online shopping deals. You may also want to offer thoughtful gifts or free shipping with a minimum purchase. During the holiday season especially, customers expect free gifts or shipping.
7. Make the in-store experience festive
If your business has a physical store, make it as welcoming as possible. You’ll want to attract shoppers who like to support local businesses during the holiday season. Update displays, use bold signs, and make sure discounts are visible to passersby.
8. Build a relationship
Keep new customers by building an ongoing relationship. Encourage reviews and customer-generated content on your website or social media.
As a business owner looking for deals
If you’re looking to buy for your business, you can also capitalise on Black Friday’s incredible deals by following these steps:
- Think about what you need
- Buy early
- Avoid scams
1. Think about what you need
What could the business use right now? More computers or new mobile phones? Tech accessories or new furniture? Do your research on where the best Black Friday deals are.
2. Buy early
Start buying as soon as you see discounts. Many retailers offer early deals in the weeks before Black Friday. You can always keep your great buy in the box just in case prices drop more and you need to return it.
3. Avoid scams
Scammers and cyber criminals are offering ‘great deals’ too. Beware of websites that look suspicious, unsolicited emails with links or attachments, and social media links to the ‘best deals out there’. Scam websites often copy the look of legitimate ones. Scammers will also invent ‘ghost stores’ that often pretend to be small boutiques to fool customers.
How did Black Friday start anyway?
Black Friday sales started in the early 1950s in the United States when retailers designated the fourth Friday in November – right after Thanksgiving Day – as the start of the Christmas shopping season. Around that time, police officers began calling the shopping event ‘Black Friday’ or ‘Black Saturday’ because crowds of shoppers resulted in lots of traffic. Efforts to change the name to ‘Big Friday’ or ‘Big Saturday’ never caught on. Later U.S. retailers promoted the idea that the ‘Black Friday’ name meant that retail businesses went from being ‘in the red’ to ‘in the black’ thanks to the massive shopping event.
Black Friday sales caught on with retailers around the world, although the name was controversial in Australia. Black Friday also referred to the January 1939 bushfires in Victoria, where 71 people died.
In Australia, the first Black Friday sales occurred around 2011. Customers responded enthusiastically, and by 2017, the tradition was already well established.
Are you ready?
Now you know what Black Friday is and why it matters to business owners. We’ve also covered some of our top tips to give your business a head start on this busy holiday shopping season.
As a business owner, it pays to prepare for Black Friday in Australia. Whether you’re offering incredible deals or searching for them – good luck and happy holidays!
