Key points
- Almost two-thirds of Aussies plan to partake in end-of-year sales, especially Black Friday
- Aussies are starting their Christmas shopping earlier, aligning with key sales
- Saving money and shopping strategically are top of mind for many Australians
As cost-of-living pressures continue, a Monash University report has found savvy Australian shoppers plan to make the most of Black Friday sales and shop early for Christmas.
Monash Business School’s Australian Consumer and Retail Studies (ACRS) annual Christmas & Seasonal Retail Trends Report unwraps this year’s insights in the lead up to key sales events, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Boxing Day.
It found almost two-thirds of Australian shoppers (65 per cent) plan to buy during sales events across November and December.
Report lead author and ACRS Research and Strategy Director Ms Stephanie Atto said savings and strategy were big motivators for this year’s bargain hunters.
“Aussie shoppers are becoming increasingly savvy and are using sales events to their benefit,” Ms Atto said. “The main reasons shoppers plan to buy during sales this year are to make big savings and plan ahead by purchasing gifts in advance.
“For example, around half seek to take advantage of sales promotions (59 per cent), avoid paying full price (57 per cent), expect significant savings (50 per cent), and want to purchase gifts - such as Christmas presents - in advance (43 per cent). Almost one-third also report being on a tight budget due to financial hardship (29 per cent).”
Of the 35 per cent who are not planning to participate, almost half are on a tight budget due to financial hardship (43 per cent), and 50 per cent want to avoid impulse buying. Some are wary, with 26 per cent of those planning not to participate suspicious of misleading discounts and promotions and 11 per cent wary of scams.
Ms Atto said even among Aussies who planned to buy during end-of-year sales events, the majority were planning ahead to avoid purchasing impulsively. “Almost all sales shoppers (95 per cent) will employ various strategies when approaching sales events,” she said.
“Sixty per cent research where they can purchase items they want, 53 per cent keep a list of preferred items, 44 per cent make a budget, and 22 per cent actively set notifications on items they want.”
Fashion retailers continue to benefit most as almost two-thirds of sales shoppers planned to purchase clothing, footwear, and accessories at an upcoming sales event (64 per cent), followed by around a third who planned to purchase consumer electronics (38 per cent), household goods (32 per cent), and personal care items (31 per cent).
Almost a quarter of sales shoppers planned to purchase toys and games (24 per cent), food and beverages (24 per cent), and books and stationery (23 per cent).
Historically, nearly half of Australian shoppers start their Christmas shopping less than a month before Christmas (between 45 and 46 per cent each year from 2022 to 2024), while over a third start between one and three months in advance (between 37 and 40 per cent each year from 2022 to 2024). However, this year there is a shift to an earlier start.
“Australian shoppers are starting Christmas shopping earlier this year, with almost half shopping one to three months in advance (47 per cent), aligning with key sales events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” Ms Atto said.
Ms Atto said Black Friday – 28 November this year – had become a mainstay sales event in Australia and arguably the year’s biggest sales event. “Our research has shown steady growth of Aussie shoppers’ planned participation in Black Friday sales,” she said.
“This year, nearly half of sales events shoppers plan to purchase from Black Friday sales (46 per cent), an eight percentage points increase year-on-year (38 per cent in 2024) and a 13 percentage points increase since tracking end-of-year sales events began in 2022 (33 per cent in 2022).
“Comparatively, just over a third of sales events shoppers plan to purchase from Boxing Day sales this year (35 per cent), which has been relatively stable since tracking end-of-year sales events began (between 35 and 37 per cent each year from 2022 to 2025).
“Not only are more shoppers planning to shop during Black Friday compared to Boxing Day. they plan to spend more during Black Friday too. Among sales events shoppers who set a budget, Black Friday budgets are $496 on average, while Boxing Day budgets are $402 on average.
“With sales already well underway, this week is set to be a big one, culminating in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So, if you haven’t already done so, start writing a list of the things you want to purchase, set yourself a budget, research where you can purchase items, and set your notifications to grab yourself some bargains in time for Christmas.”
Note about the research: Data was collected from 1,014 randomly selected adult Australian shoppers in October 2025.
Read the report here
Read more on Monash Lens
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