Australians are expected to spend a record $7.2 billion during this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, as cost-of-living pressures lead shoppers to hunt for the best prices, plan for Christmas savings and increasingly turn to AI to find deals.

New research from the Australian Retail Council (ARC) and Roy Morgan forecasts spending across the four-day sales period, 27 to 30 November, will increase 5.5% on 2025, delivering an additional $374 million in retail sales.

Shoppers of the sales event plan to spend an average of $920, up $116 or 14.4% on last year, with almost one in three expecting to spend at least $1,000.

ARC Chief Industry Engagement Officer Fleur Brown said pressure on household budgets was making value a greater priority for Australian consumers.

“Black Friday continues to rise in popularity in Australia and has become a major opportunity to buy Christmas gifts and planned purchases at discounted prices,” Brown said.

Low prices are now the leading motivation for participating shoppers, cited by 58%, compared with 42% last year. The appeal of great deals has also increased, rising from 38% to 51%.

More shoppers are using the sales to save on Christmas presents, climbing from 25% to 39%, while one in four plans to start Christmas shopping early, up from 14% in 2025.

Around 5.8 million Australians intend to shop during the promotional period, compared with approximately six million last year. Two-thirds plan to purchase both Christmas gifts as well as items for themselves.

The research also highlights the growing role of AI in retail. One in four respondents plan to use an AI chatbot to research products and Black Friday deals. Of those, 72% will be using an AI chatbot for the first time during the event.

Black Friday Good Guys.

Clothing, footwear and accessories are the top planned purchases, named by 33% of shoppers who identified what they intend to buy. Technology follows at 30%, with household goods at 29%.

Men expect to spend an average of $1,028, compared with $822 for women. Technology is the leading category for men, while clothing, footwear and accessories are the most popular among women.

The anticipated spending surge comes as retailers face increased scrutiny over their promotional practices, as previously reported by ChannelNews. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched its third sweep targeting potentially misleading Black Friday and Cyber Monday advertising.

The investigation will examine questionable discount claims, misleading countdown timers, false scarcity messaging and price comparisons using reference prices that products were never, or had not recently been, sold at.

The sales period is critical for retailers, said ARC’s Brown, with some discretionary businesses generating up to two-thirds of their annual profits between Black Friday and Christmas.

She encouraged Australians to support local retailers while reminding shoppers to treat retail workers with respect during the busy trading period.

The ARC-Roy Morgan research surveyed 7,654 Australians aged 18 and over between 15 and 19 October, including 1,838 people planning to participate in Black Friday sales.