The Iconic, David Jones and Kmart are among a growing number of retailers to launch Black Friday sales up to a week early, as they tackle Australia’s first restriction-free lockdown since 2019.
The Iconic launched its Black Friday campaign last Saturday, November 19 at 7am, with general discounts across womens and mens clothing, shoes, accessories, and targeted discounts for P.E Nation, RM Williams, Nike and Adidas.
The online retailer’s Black Friday sale will run until Tuesday, November 29.
David Jones has launched its 'Event of the Year' sale today, November 21, where customers can shop special early-bird offers across fashion, home, electrical, accessories, kids and toys before rolling out across all categories on Wednesday, November 23 - both instore nationally and online.
The department store offer a variety of shopping services, including free standard click-and-collect, extended store hours and complimentary express delivery on orders over $50.
New offers will be introduced throughout the week with many one-day only offers launching on Black Friday.
David Jones, CEO Scott Fyfe welcomed an earlier start date to the campaign.
“With the introduction of our ‘A World of Wonder’ Christmas campaign, our stores are an exciting place to be at this time of the year and the Black Friday sales is a fantastic opportunity for customers to complete their Christmas shopping early, taking advantage of some incredible offers."
And Kmart has launched its Black Friday preparations today, November 21, with Kmart Australia chief merchandise officer Callum Smith saying the yearly sales event has grown year-on-year.
“We expect consumer participation to continue to grow as consumers are looking for opportunities to save money and get great deals on big ticket items,” Smith said.
Kmart has revealed its discounts to shoppers, who can now plan their purchases before they are activated in store, online and through app at 8am on Thursday, November 24.
Earlier this month, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), in collaboration with Roy Morgan, forecasted that Black Friday sales are set to reach $6.2 billion dollars over the entire weekend, including Cyber Monday on November 28.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said Black Friday sales are the biggest pre-Christmas event on the retail calendar and that its popularity continues to grow in Australia.
“After starting off as an American shopping tradition, the Black Friday sales have become a global phenomenon and millions of Aussies are set to take part,” Zahra said.
“The event is renowned for having the biggest pre-Christmas bargains, and this year will be no different.
“We’re expecting huge amounts of traffic in-stores and online, with sales to reach $6.2 billion this year – an increase of $200 million on 2021,” he said.
Around a quarter (25%) of Christmas shopping is completed in Black Friday week alone with a third (33%) already completed in the first three weeks of November according to Salesforce’s Holiday Insights Hub. The Salesforce research also shows the average discount rate will be highest during Cyber Week, averaging 22%.
“We know that many people are more conscious about their household budgets with the cost of living going up and interest rates on the rise,” Zahra continued. “There’s no doubt it’s a challenging economic environment, but what’s pleasing is that retail sales overall are currently at record levels.
“The impacts of rising interest rates and inflation have yet to slow household spending and we’re forecasting upbeat trading with pre-Christmas sales forecast to reach nearly $64 billion – a 3% increase on last year.
“2023 is set to be a more challenging year with a slowdown expected to Australia’s economic growth.
“But as it stands right now, consumer spending is strong and that’s set to continue over the festive trading period, which will give many businesses confidence for their most important time of year.”