Seven out of ten Australians plan to participate in this year’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday bonanza, according to Nielsen research.

If these figures bear out, participation will be up 22 per cent on last year.

This is also true of retailers, with retail participation also jumping from 52 per cent last year to 70 per cent.

Consumer electronics may prove to be the biggest sellers this year, with 63 per cent of respondents planning to buy something from this category, with an average spend of $388.

According to Nielsen research, one in three shoppers say they’ve been planning for the sales event since September/October, while 24 per cent have been planning for at least the last two weeks.

52 per cent plan a mix of online and in-store shopping, 29 per cent will only shop online, with 19 per cent plan to bargain hunt the traditional way.

As ChannelNews reported yesterday, Australian Black Friday/Cyber Monday spend is tipped to hit $6.2 billion this year.