Black Friday 2025, the $6.8bn pressure test for Australian retail

Australia is about to face its biggest shopping weekend on record when Black Friday lands on 28 November, with forecasts pointing to $6.8 billion in spend across the Black Friday–Cyber Monday period. What was once a four-day sale has become a month-long retail machine, reshaping how brands fight for attention, traffic and conversion.

New Meltwater data shows Black Friday continues to dwarf Cyber Monday, capturing 92% of all mentions and generating more than 206K engagements across news and social.

Amazon has already kicked off Black Friday Week, taking over large-format OOH across Sydney to promote deals from Bose, Nike, LEGO and Dyson. The retailer’s Black Friday Week runs from November 20 at 12:01am PST through November 28, immediately rolling into its Cyber Monday event until December 1.

But sentiment is split. While 168M mentions reflected excitement around standout deals, more than 411M expressed frustration about perceived price manipulation and misleading tactics from major retailers including Amazon and Samsung.

The Iconic carved out a strong niche in fashion with 18% of Black Friday mentions and a reach of 1.3 million, supported by editorial in Australian Women’s Weekly, Vogue Australia and News.com.au.

Meltwater VP ANZ Ross Candido said this year’s surge signals a shift in how discovery happens.

“With six in 10 Australians now turning to social platforms to research products, it’s no longer just about who has the best discount, but what real, relevant content is breaking through - powered by creators that communities trust,” he said.

“At the same time, large language models like ChatGPT are playing an increasingly important role in reshaping the customer journey, now driving over 85% of chatbot-to-website referrals - signalling a shift from SEO to ‘Generative Engine Optimisation’.”

Candido said brands heading into 2026 must implement deeper intelligence across their strategy.

“Not just to optimise campaign performance, but to strategically adapt to this emerging phase of discovery, where AI and social influence converge to shape how, where and why consumers engage.”

Across categories, health and fitness and travel dominated the conversation. Amazon leads all brands with 37% of mentions and a reach of 1.53 million, driven by its cross-category deals and viral surprise drop: the limited-edition “Hot Chriss Pud” created with former MasterChef contestant Declan Cleary. The Iconic ranked second in reach at 1.3 million, while Harvey Norman overperformed on engagement with 4K interactions.

Afterpay enters the chat

In Sydney, Afterpay is pushing for real-world impact with one of the most aggressive experiential plays of the season. On 20 November, the brand will give away more than $100,000 in cash prizes to over 1,000 shoppers via a giant interactive billboard in Pitt Street Mall. Every participant wins $50–$200 in Afterpay credit redeemable in-store, while 72 “golden tickets” unlock guaranteed VIP valet parking at Westfield Bondi across Black Friday weekend.

Afterpay director of trade and partner marketing Emily Marshall said the activation blends “consumer delight with strategic outcomes” during the most important shopping period of the year.

Emily Marshall, director of trade and partner marketing at Afterpay, said Black Friday and holiday shopping should be about excitement and festive celebration.

"We've designed a campaign that delivers genuine value for shoppers while providing measurable impact from a retail perspective – uniting consumer delight with strategic outcomes during the year's most important shopping weekend."

News Corp leans in

News Corp is activating its full network, giving commercial partners access to more than 18.8 million Australians across digital, social, print and video. Its news.com.au checkout hub features up to 12,000 editorially curated deals, supported by a real-time ticker across major mastheads.

The Ultimate Guide, a 16-page print and digital lift-out, will run across The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser, supported by partners including Harvey Norman, Aldi, Priceline, Inspiring Vacations and The Good Guys.

While most retailers rely on predictable 40–70% discounts, Kitchen Warehouse and Special have taken a more playful approach with “Bake Friday Deals.” Customers receive baking sheets printed with Black Friday discounts that reveal bigger hidden offers when heated in the oven. The idea blends tactility, surprise and influencer-led content, with a national rollout across all stores and online orders.

The brand hopes the kitchen-led experience cuts through a cluttered category and gives shoppers something to share as well as something to save.