Clothing, footwear and accessories are the top item on Australians’ Black Friday shopping lists, with spending over the promotional period forecast to reach a record $7.2 billion.
New research from the Australian Retail Council (ARC) and Roy Morgan found 33 per cent of shoppers who had decided what they would buy were planning to purchase clothing, footwear and accessories. Technology followed at 30 per cent, with household goods at 29 per cent.
Spending across the Black Friday to Cyber Monday period, which runs from November 27 to 30, is expected to rise 5.5 per cent on last year, adding $374 million in sales.
The research found fewer Australians planned to shop the sales but would spend more when they did. Around 5.8 million intend to take part, down from approximately six million last year, while the average planned spend rose $116, or 14.4 per cent, to $920. Almost one in three shoppers plans to spend $1,000 or more.
“With an unrelenting pressure on many household budgets, shoppers are looking to make their money go even further this year,” ARC chief industry engagement officer Fleur Brown said.
Low prices were the leading motivation, cited by 58 per cent of shoppers, up from 42 per cent last year. Great deals drew 51 per cent, up from 38 per cent. The share shopping to save on Christmas gifts rose to 39 per cent from 25 per cent, while one in four said they were motivated by starting their Christmas shopping early, up from 14 per cent.
Two-thirds of shoppers plan to buy both Christmas gifts and items for themselves.
Men plan to spend an average of $1,028, compared with $822 for women. Technology led men’s shopping lists at 39 per cent, while clothing, footwear and accessories topped women’s at 35 per cent.
The research also found one in four shoppers planned to use an AI chatbot to research products and find deals, with 72 per cent of those saying it would be their first time doing so for the event.
Brown said the period from Black Friday to Christmas was critical for the sector, with many discretionary retailers generating up to two-thirds of their annual profits over those weeks.
“Australian retailers are increasingly getting in on the Black Friday action and customers can expect genuine, highly competitive offers,” she said.
Brown also urged shoppers to treat retail workers with respect during the busy trading season.
The ARC-Roy Morgan survey polled 7654 Australians aged 18 and over, including 1838 who plan to take part in the Black Friday sales.