According to the NAB bank overall spending was up 4% year-on-year despite overall transactions dropping 4%, suggesting Aussies are choosing to make fewer purchases while focusing on higher-value items, of concern is how much revenue did brands strip away from retailers by selling direct.

The estimates of how successful Black Friday trading actually was, came from NAB merchant terminal data between Friday 29 November 2025 to Monday 2 December 2025, it failed to account for Black Friday promotions weeks out from Black Friday or direct sales by brands and suppliers to retailers.

Some analysts are concerned that the projected increase in sales does not take into place inflation and the increase in the price of goods which is many cases is over 10% compared with 2023 Black Friday sales.

The big difference this year is that retailers such as Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, The Good Guys and Bing Lee kicked off their Black Friday sales early some weeks out from the normal two day Black Friday sales period.

NAB analyst are now questioning how much revenue was stripped out of the traditional December January holiday period when in the past and before the emergence of the American Black Friday event, delivered “significantly better profits” for retailers.

Nab claim that two-thirds of Black Friday purchases were made in-store, versus online, what’s not know is how much revenue brands such as LG, Sony and HP stripped away from retailers by offering big discounts directly.

Brands such as LG spent significant online marketing dollars, driving consumers to their site so did a multitude of audio, PC and accessory suppliers.

Of the whole sales weekend, Black Friday topped Cyber Monday as day with highest spend.

New NAB transaction data shows more than two-thirds of Black Friday sales were made in-store across the four-day Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping period.

Amazon has claimed that they had a new record-breaking Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday period this year, after already kicking off a six day Amazon Prime discount program that several retailers were concerned would impact their Black Friday trading period.

Teemu is also claiming a record with Australians flocking to their site claim management.

Black Friday sale – Google image search.

Amazon claim that said its seasonal sale event was its largest to date, compared to the same 12-day period ending on Cyber Monday in prior years.

Some of the products in demand included Alexa-enabled devices, Ninja Foodi MAX Electric Toothbrushes and accessories.

In the UK Amazon gave returned products a second chance by shopping quality used, refurbished, or open-box products through its Amazon Black Friday resale offers.

Some of the most popular resale products included Russell Hobbs Steam and Clean, Fisher-Price Butterfly Dreams 3-In-1 Projection Mobile and Xbox Series S.

Amazon claim that independent sellers and distributors, whose products accounted for over 60% of sales made across the site during Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday also benefitted from their marketplace relationship with the big US online retailer.

Amazon Stores worldwide CEO Doug Herrington said: “We know how much our customers appreciate saving money, and our customers saved billions with us during this year’s holiday shopping event.”

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“And we have many more fun and exciting ways for them to continue to save this holiday season.”

NAB Executive Business Julie Rynski said. “Australians are spending more thoughtfully and choosing quality over quantity with sales on big-ticket items like TVs, cameras, and furniture up year on year,”.

“What’s also interesting is the resurgence of in-store shopping as many of us want to see and feel products before we purchase them and want the instant gratification of taking it home with us, especially for those big-ticket items.

As for the growth in Black Friday shopping she said “This growth shows bricks-and-mortar stores are here to stay and underscores the importance of in-store shopping experiences during major sales events.”

Electronic stores spend was up 10%, and transactions up 17%. The increase in spending on electronics indicates a strong demand for gadgets and tech products, possibly driven by gifting.