The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a stern warning to retailers ahead of this year’s Black Friday sales, cautioning them against misleading advertising and deceptive marketing tactics.

Still investigating several cases from last year’s Black Friday promotions, the ACCC has announced it will again conduct a “sales sweep” to identify potentially false or misleading claims made by retailers during the upcoming sales period.

The regulator says its sweep will target a range of common advertising practices, including misleading “limited time” offers designed to create false urgency, exaggerated “site-wide” or “store-wide” sale claims, and “up to X% off” promotions where few products are actually discounted at the advertised rate.

All retailers and brands selling direct will be monitored by the ACCC

“We are putting retailers on notice to review their sales advertising practices to ensure that any sales or discount claims they make are accurate, clear, and not likely to mislead or deceive consumers,”
said ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe.

Lowe warned that misleading promotions can significantly influence consumer behaviour and limit their ability to make informed purchasing decisions during major sales events.

“We will pay special attention to retailers who were identified as having problematic sales practices in the sweep we conducted during last year’s Black Friday and Boxing Day sales and expect to see improved compliance across the retail sector,” she said.

Retailers found to be engaging in misleading or deceptive advertising could face enforcement action.

Lowe also urged consumers to be cautious when shopping during the sales period:

“If consumers are waiting for the Black Friday sales to make a big purchase, we encourage them to check prices now so they can compare later and determine if they are getting a genuine saving.”

The ACCC is encouraging consumers to be sceptical of broad discount claims and to read disclaimers and conditions carefully. Shoppers can report concerning promotions, including screenshots or photos, directly through the ACCC website.

Consumer protection and fair trading in the retail and supermarket sectors—particularly around misleading pricing practices—remains one of the ACCC’s 2025–26 Compliance and Enforcement Priorities.

Background

This year’s sweep will focus on conduct such as:

Misleading time representations, such as “3 days only” or countdown timers that don’t match the true sale duration.

False “store-wide” or “site-wide” discount claims that exclude significant product categories.

Fine print disclaimers that undermine headline discount messages.

“Up to X% off” claims where the top discount applies to very few items or is not clearly displayed.

Misleading “was/now” or “strikethrough” pricing that misrepresents actual savings.

In 2024, the ACCC’s Black Friday and Boxing Day sweep uncovered a range of concerning practices by major Australian retailers. Following that review, the Commission launched multiple investigations and issued formal notices to retailers requiring them to substantiate their claims.

In June 2025, Michael Hill, My House, and Hairhouse Online paid penalties for allegedly making false and misleading representations about their Black Friday sales. Several investigations from last year’s sweep remain ongoing.