Black Friday has become a major event in the Australian retail sales calendar with more retailers offering deals and more shoppers taking advantage of the sales bonanza.
Major retailers across the country enjoyed an uplift in sales following challenging trading conditions over the past few months, sharing their Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) insights with Appliance Retailer.
Bing Lee general manager, Peter Harris said he anticipated growth compared to last BFCM, but was “pleasantly surprised” that the final result exceeded his expectations.
“It shows that even in the current squeeze on the cost-of-living consumers have money in their wallets but are waiting for a reason to spend. The sale was longer, discounts were deeper, and offers were wider than ever,” he told Appliance Retailer.
“Although consumers did spend, they are cautious about what they are buying. They were looking for the best deal and many entry level deals got the biggest results as consumers were looking to drive their dollar further.”
It was a successful event for all categories, but Harris said some of the big winners were floorcare, particularly robot vacuums, and cooking and whitegoods with consumers embracing promotions from agency brands.
“Entry level offers were attractive as some products reached new price points. Small appliances were strong with Shark and Ninja products in high demand. TV and audio sold well, although TVs were not as big a percentage of overall sales. Scooters were also a hit as consumers anticipate them to become legalised in NSW early next year.”
Consumers want choice on how and when they shop. While both online and physical stores experienced significant growth with traffic up across both channels, extended trading hours worked particularly well for Bing Lee and its customers.
“Having a seamless omnichannel experience is more important than ever, which includes quick, full-service delivery, fast same day delivery, click & collect options as well as well stocked and merchandise shops with great staff and a user-friendly e-commerce site with trained local support a click or call away,” Harris said.
With the current state of the economy and sheer volume of sales across the BFCM period, Harris is expecting the sale event to impact December trading.
“Some suppliers have indicated a depletion of certain SKUs from the BFCM sales, which means they’ll be unable to activate certain offers for Christmas and Boxing Day. There will be consumers still buying Christmas gifts and others waiting for Boxing Day sales so I’m sure we will see a decent end to the year, but I have no doubt plenty of oxygen has been taken out of the market.”
This year’s BFCM sales period was exceptionally strong for Bi-Rite, marking a notable increase in both traffic and sales compared to 2023, according to chief operating officer, Hamza Hussein.
“Our business experienced a significant uplift, reflecting the continued strength of consumer demand and the effectiveness of our promotional strategies. In comparison to previous years, this BFCM season stood out due to the accelerated growth of online shopping and the increased importance of omnichannel retail experiences,” he told Appliance Retailer.
“The shift towards digital-first shopping continues to reshape how consumers engage with brands, and we saw more customers turning to our online platforms for both convenience and exclusive deals.”
This year, technology products were the primary standout category with TVs, audio and smartphones leading the charge. “Consumers were particularly drawn to the latest models, reflecting the strong demand for high-quality technology. We also saw floorcare and air conditioning deliver strong results.”
Bi-Rite saw customers embrace a healthy mix of both in-store and online shopping this year. “The rise of omnichannel and phygital experiences has become increasingly important, as shoppers seek the convenience of online platforms, alongside the unique opportunities and options offered by physical stores,” Hussein said.
“While there is always some concern that BFCM may influence purchasing behaviour in the months that follow, we remain confident that we will perform strongly in the remainder of 2024, driven by ongoing consumer demand and the strategic initiatives we’ve implemented.”
BSR Group was pleased with the results throughout the BFCM campaign this year.
“Every year, we look at the prior year’s numbers and think, how do we better these, and every year, we’ve been able to do so, this year included. We’re delighted with our online growth, however the growth in stores exceeded our expectations, indicating that consumers, especially those chasing higher value items, are more than willing to shop in store where they can touch and feel the product,” chief customer officer, Adrian Mitchell said.
Big ticket items such as TVs, fridges, air conditioners, washing machines and dishwashers were on the top of the list for consumers. “Products like kettles and toasters, audio systems, vacuums, and benchtop kitchen appliances proved equally as popular.”
The ongoing question mark is how early in November does BF start in 2025?
“Our view is that it already starts early enough, so hopefully we’ve reached the limit of BF sales creep. The impact of BF on trading for the rest of the year has long been a concern. However, history suggests that customers still have plenty of shopping to do throughout December. With CM falling into December this year, naturally, we get an excellent kickstart to the month and are optimistic that it will remain buoyant.”
digiDirect general manager, Haig Kayserian acknowledged that there was a lot of doom and gloom in the market leading into BFCM this year, but when the sales were announced, customers were quick to react.
“We got off to a very fast start to an earlier-than-usual BFCM sale period, with fewer customers waiting for the official Black Friday (29 November) to make their purchases. They were keen to lock down the stock they wanted in what was a heavy discount period. We found more customers shopping in store than online than in previous years and opting for click & collect for higher value purchases,” he said.
This year, in store represented over half (57.5%) of total sales during the BFCM sale period. “This proves Australians are back in the physical retail mood, especially for higher value items, considering our average basket size at digiDirect is close to $1,000.”
All products in demand by content creators were massive for digiDirect including cameras, lenses, drones, laptops, monitors, audio, microphones, mixers, iPhones, iPads and Airtags were all popular. “Kobo e-readers, which we were selling for the first time, were also in high demand.”
While the theory that people did their Christmas shopping during BFCM has merit, digiDirect sees consumers continuing to buy ahead of Christmas. “We’ll be providing great everyday prices and a gift guide to make choosing easier for consumers. We have great hope that Boxing Day will remain a sale event staple for our customers, and we will treat that period very seriously and anticipate a response from lovers of the technology that make content creation possible.”
E&S has seen the BFCM promotional period continue to grow each year as consumers are more aware of the potential to save during this period.
“The phasing of sales is continually evolving as to whether customers are willing to purchase prior to the actual date. Last year, a large proportion held off until BF itself, but this year, customers were more willing to purchase in the lead up to the day,” head of marketing and digital, Paul Baddeley said.
BF proves to be a great time for e&s’ renovating focused customers to find value, so all categories are popular during the sale period.
“Our customers shop with us both online and in store and these numbers are increasing year-on-year wherever our customers are best suited to engage with us. Our ability to deliver our level of service and great brands at value has proven to be the main reason that our customer keeps coming back to us,” Baddeley said.
“We are aware of how important Black Friday has become and how sales may have been held off prior to November and potentially brought forward from December. This obviously makes the rest of the year a challenge, but as customers lead into the holiday season and entertaining at home, we do see new customers entering the market.”
The Winning Group achieved solid sales growth for both Appliances Online and Winnings during the BFCM period.
“Appliances Online’s BFCM sales grew 17% on last year and Winnings had its biggest-ever November with record Black Friday sales, achieving a 26% increase in sales growth. Popular categories among customers were refrigeration, audio visual and cooking. Outside of appliances, we’ve experienced significant growth in bathware and furniture and lighting,” CEO, John Winning said.