Need to know
- Big discounting events like Black Friday and the Boxing Day sales are starting earlier and lasting longer in Australia
- Experts say consumer expectations and competition are causing retailers to reduce prices for longer, more often
- Avoid getting caught up in sales hype by doing your research, comparing models and haggling on some big-ticket items
Looking to get more bang for your buck when shopping? Our advice has always been to follow your favourite retailers on social media and sign up to their newsletters.
With newer big ticket events like Black Friday becoming fixtures on the local retail scene and more flash sales from individual brands popping up throughout the year, it's the easiest way to keep up to date with an increasingly crowded sales calendar.
But if you've been following this advice for the last few years, you may have noticed big discounting events like Black Friday and Boxing Day are starting earlier and lasting longer every year.
More markdowns are of course good news for cash-strapped consumers, but what's behind this trend of seemingly ceaseless sales?
Seasonal sales getting longer
Originating in the US, Black Friday started off as a one-day event on the last Friday of November (the day after Thanksgiving). The sale made its way to Australian shores in early 2010, but in recent years Aussie retailers have been redefining Black Friday as a weeks-long phenomenon.
In 2023, the first local Black Friday deals dropped on November 14 and lasted the entire 10 days until the day itself.
Last year, discounts were coming into effect even earlier, from November 6 – three weeks before Black Friday.
Along with start dates being brought forward (last year's event was the earliest ever for some retailers), these sales are also lasting longer, with some not ending until days after the Black Friday weekend.
In recent years Aussie retailers have been redefining Black Friday as a weeks-long phenomenon
The Australia Bureau of Statistics has also picked up on this trend, noting that Black Friday promotions increasingly encompass the whole of November, with the event now rivalling the December Christmas period as Australia's biggest shopping season.
But December spending is getting a boost too, thanks to retailers also reimagining the Boxing Day sales – last year saw major brands including Big W, Koala, The Iconic and Kathmandu bring forward Boxing Day deals to several days before Christmas.
Consumer trends and competitive pressure behind the shake-up
So why would retailers discount stock at a time when shoppers are under pressure to buy Christmas gifts and would be more likely to pay full price?
Dr Jessica Pallant, a marketing lecturer at RMIT, says there are several reasons for the sale creep affecting Boxing Day and Black Friday and some of them centre on us, the shoppers.
"Brands have trained consumers to wait for sales, because they happen with predictable regularity," she says.
Pallant says the significant increase in the cost of living over recent years has reinforced this consumer instinct to hold back on paying full price.
She says brands believe that customers are unlikely to purchase from them unless they're having a sale, so they think "we've got to flick that switch potentially a bit earlier to beat our competitors".
The significant increase in the cost of living over recent years has reinforced this consumer instinct to hold back on paying full price
Pallant argues this 'fear of missing out' could also be behind companies bringing forward their Boxing Day sales, suggesting this could be an attempt to be the first to tap into a particular type of spending that occurs during this period.
"Christmas [has] always been about buying for someone else. Whereas the Boxing Day sales have traditionally been more like: 'Well, I didn't get what I needed for Christmas, so now I'm going to go out and buy for myself'," she says.
"What [retailers are] trying to do is hit on that different buying motivation: 'why wait for Christmas? Just treat yourself'."
Longer sales could hurt businesses
Experts say retailers with longer sales may end up with fewer customers paying full price.
They may be attracting consumers, but these longer sales have the potential to hurt retailers in multiple ways.
Professor Vince Mitchell from the University of Sydney Business School says the inclination among shoppers to use a product's price to make an assessment of its quality can cause extended sale tactics to backfire.
"If you have low prices for a long time, it'll erode your quality perceptions," he explains.
"The other disadvantage is cannibalisation: people will buy something on sale or they buy two of them and therefore they don't buy the second one at full price later on."
Dr Pallant adds that longer sales can also lead a retailer to rely more on customers who will only buy from them at a discount.
"Quite a lot of the time, new customers coming into a brand for the first time at a sales event will then only return to that brand during another sales event," she says.
Longer sales can also lead a retailer to rely more on customers who will only buy from them at a discount
"[Retailers are] not actually building that consumer value over the long term."
CHOICE approached a number of the brands we've seen offering the earliest Black Friday or Boxing Day deals to find out what factors influence when they start and end their sales and if they're concerned that longer-term discounting could affect their businesses.
Most didn't respond, but Big W said its early Boxing Day deals were aimed at giving consumers a "compelling reason" to shop at its stores before Christmas.
It also said it didn't believe longer sales would erode perceptions of the quality of its products and that a varied product range gave customers reasons to shop at its stores throughout the year, not just during sale periods.
Tips for avoiding sales hype
Here's how to keep a level head and grab a genuine bargain next time you're shopping the sales:
- Stay informed: We've said it already, but big-ticket sale events are starting earlier every year, so follow your favourite brands on social media and sign up to their newsletters to get the first word on their offers.
- Do your homework: Looking to make a big household purchase like a TV, mattress or whitegoods? Find the best performing models with our latest reviews and avoid buying a dud that a retailer is trying to get rid of in the sales.
- Compare prices: Just because a retailer has a product on sale doesn't mean they've got the best price. It could be cheaper somewhere else.
- Avoid expensive add-ons: Don't spoil your bargain by paying for accessories that could be cheaper elsewhere or an unnecessary extended warranty.
- Haggle: Even during a sale, you might be able to negotiate a cheaper price on some larger items like whitegoods and mattresses, especially older models.
- Check return policies in advance: While retailers have to give you a refund, replacement or repair when a product is faulty, you're not guaranteed a remedy if you simply change your mind. Check a store's return policy if you're not sure if a gift you're buying will be well-received.
For more, see our full list of expert tips for shopping during the sales.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
