Black Friday bargains continue to draw in more online shoppers, but Australians are being warned to look out for offers that really are too good to be true.
27 November 2025
This week Australians are being warned to be extra careful on the hunt for Black Friday bargains in 2025.
Commonwealth Bank data shows Australians love a nice discount, spending a record $5.1 billion on discretionary goods during the Black Friday sales period last year – a 7 per cent increase on 2023.1
And while overall, people still spent more in-store, online spend grew at twice the rate, growing at 10% compared to 5% for in-store shopping, according to CommBank iQ data.1
Bargains bring out the scammers
While Black Friday bargains continue to grow in popularity with Australian shoppers, they’re an opportunity for scammers targeting online buyers.
The lead-up to Christmas is prime time for scammers, who use fake retailer sites, AI-generated ads and delivery scams to steal card details or personal data.
“Scammers are ready to move fast when shoppers do – including during big sales events,” Commonwealth Bank General Manager of Group Fraud James Roberts said.
“With limited time offers and countdown clocks everywhere, it’s easy to feel the pressure to buy,” he said.
“When you’re on unfamiliar sites or see deals that look too good to be true, that’s when to be extra careful. Scammer tactics might vary, but the same 3-step rule applies – Stop, Check and Reject anything that feels off,” Roberts added.
While Black Friday sales are a relatively recent trend in Australian retail, older Australians are also growing in numbers when it comes to bargain hunters.
CommBank iQ data1 shows older generations had the largest year-on-year growth in Black Friday spending in 2024, up 14 per cent among Australians aged 70+ during the period, and 10 per cent for those aged 60–69.
Regional shoppers also outpaced metropolitan areas, with spending up 8 per cent versus 6 per cent in metro areas. In total, regional Australians spent $1.1 billion during the week of Black Friday, compared with $4 billion in metro areas.
Categories like apparel (+4%), electronics (+3%) and department stores (+6%) were particularly popular, as bargain hunters jumped online earlier than ever to secure deals.
1 Black Friday period: Tuesday 26/11/2024 to Monday 2/12/2024 vs Tuesday 21/11/2023 to Monday 27/11/2023. Online spending was 1.8x more in the Black Friday period in 2024 vs. the average weekly spend across the 6 months before Black Friday period. People spent more in-store $2.9 billion vs. online $2.2 billion, up 5% and 10% respectively vs. 2023.
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