More Australians than ever are planning to take advantage of Black Friday with around 10 million shoppers expected to search for a bargain ahead of Christmas, representing 14% growth on 2022.

Black Friday 2023 is expected to generate more retail sales than what is traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, Boxing Day, with consumers planning to spend about 16% more ($440 spend per shopper) on Black Friday than Boxing Day ($380 spend per shopper)*.

Vicinity Centres’ Group Director Customer and Asset Management, Kirrily Lord said that bargain hunting and an elevated customer experience are key drivers of consumer behaviours this Black Friday.

“Each of our 59 shopping centres across Australia are planning to welcome customers looking to take advantage of Black Friday sales,” Lord said.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen customers value the experience of physical retail and that’s set to continue this Black Friday with almost 60% of purchases expected to be made in-stores.

“We’re committed to delivering retail property excellence and whether it’s a refreshed selection of retailers, centre ambience upgrades or larger development works, there’s always something new and engaging for customers to experience,” she said.

Despite present cost of living pressures, Chadstone anticipates an estimated 600,000 visitors over Black Friday week, with an excess of 100,000 shoppers attending on Black Friday alone making the most of the extended trading hours which will see the centre open until 11pm.

Chadstone Centre Manager, Daniel Boyle said the November sales period continues to grow in popularity and is hot on the heels of the long-established Boxing Day sales.

“We’ve provided more time for customers to make the most of the unrivalled breadth of Black Friday offers at Chadstone. We know visitors are going to love the extended offers across local and international fashion, homewares, electronics and more, and with an abundance of dining options under one roof, including The Social Quarter dining and entertainment precinct, we know visitors will be well fuelled to make the most of the highly anticipated shopping event,” said Boyle.

With Black Friday, the biggest shopping event of the year, just around the corner, Scentre Group has announced the return of the exclusive, week-long sales event, Westfield Week of Offers with unmissable deals available from Tuesday 21 – Monday 27 November.

Hundreds of exciting offers and promotions will be available at all Westfield destinations, including this year’s most sought-after Christmas gifts from favourite brands and retailers across women’s, men’s and kids’ fashion, homewares, beauty, electronics, toys and more.

Westfield Bondi Junction, NSW

Customers will have the opportunity to enjoy the magic of Christmas with live entertainment, refreshments, and festive treats to make the most of their shopping this year. Customers will also have more flexibility to shop the huge range of deals and enjoy the festivities and experiences with Westfield destinations offering extended trading hours.

Additionally, Westfield in collaboration with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has today announced ‘The Most Magical Gift Shop’, a Lifeblood pop-up blood donation centre at Westfield Sydney this Christmas. 

Jacqui Waine, Scentre Group General Manager of Marketing and Community said: “The Most Magical Gift Shop at Westfield Sydney is set to bring the spirit of generosity this festive season to life and help Lifeblood provide life-saving donations to those who need it most. We know Christmas is a busy time of year for our customers, so we hope that by making it easier to shop and donate in one go, together we can help save up to 6,600 lives.”

The custom-built, immersive pop-up is capable of taking up to 100 donations per day and features eight blood donation stations, private pre-donation interview rooms, and a refreshment space. Following their donation, customers will leave with a symbolic reminder of the gift they have given to put under their Christmas tree.

Macquarie Centre, NSW

In the spirit of giving back, shoppers at Macquarie Centre will have the opportunity to win even more savings when they spend over $200 in-centre across Black Friday weekend and enter into a drawing for the chance to win $2,000 worth of Macquarie Gift Vouchers.

Natalie Douglas, Macquarie Centre’s General Manager said, “Over the years, we have seen consumers start their Christmas shopping earlier each year. At Macquarie Centre we are anticipating an increase of over 40% of shoppers compared to a typical Friday.”

Alongside its renowned valet service, Macquarie Centre has since introduced ticketless parking and renovations to ensure easy and seamless navigation and accessibility to the centre.

Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, QLD

According to new research commissioned by Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, 57% of Brisbane residents intend to take advantage of the sales, with many (22%) Black Friday bargain hunting for the very first time.

With an average spend of $610 per resident, the research has revealed that Queensland shoppers are expected to spend $1.38 billion over the sales period – a figure anticipated to top the Boxing Day sales.

The research also revealed the lengths shoppers would go to nab a bargain, finding close to a third (30%) were planning on doing their sales hunting during the workday, half (49%) of which would spend up to three hours of work time shopping the sales.

In store visits are expected to increase 4.5% compared to last year, with shoppers setting their sights on fashion (68%), tech deals (55%), homewares (38%) and skincare (37%).

Steven Ihm, Centre General Manager at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre said: “It’s time to dig out that wish list or start working on your Christmas to-do list. Black Friday is fast approaching, and according to our consumer research, this year is gearing up to be a particularly huge one.

“With the largest selection of national and international designer fashion brands in one location, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre is promising unbeatable deals and discounts across 284 stores – that’s all your beauty, fashion, homewares, and technology needs taken care of in the one location,” he said.

Rundle Mall’s chauffeur, the Black Friday Valet, will be on hand to ferry shoppers around

Rundle Mall shoppers can bag a bargain from 8am to midnight this Black Friday, with the Mall set to be South Australia’s only retail precinct trading until midnight on the busiest and longest day of shopping this year.

The Black Friday sales will see the return of the Rundle Mall Concierge in Gawler Place, featuring a bag drop and chauffeur service and pop up bar to create a premium shopping experience.

Andrew White, Adelaide Economic Development Agency’s Executive Manager, Rundle Mall said: “All signs are pointing to a bumper weekend of shopping with massive discounts across all categories. It’s a great opportunity to start ticking items off your Christmas shopping list and stretch your budget further.

“We are making it easier than ever to shop with the return of our Rundle Mall Concierge and free bag drop service, all branded with subtle nods to the VAILO Adelaide 500 which is also in town,” White said.

With 16 continuous hours of shopping on Friday 24 November, followed by 9am to 5pm across the weekend, Adelaide shoppers are expected to spend more than $25 million in what has become the biggest sales event of the year.

Castle Towers, NSW

QIC’s activities this festive season focuses on getting back to the heart of Christmas – with free and low-cost activations, entertainment and competitions to help Australians embrace their inner child and reduce cost-of-living pressures.

QIC Head of Marketing Bronwyn Cooper said: “Christmas is a magical time of year for families, and we’ve got lots of really exciting and affordable activities for people to enjoy while they shop.

“Our data has also confirmed that Black Friday is the start of the biggest shopping season, and our centres have some of the most popular brands on sale to help consumers to save money as they tick off their Christmas shopping list,” said Cooper.

As part of its activities, QIC launched its Naughty or Nice Quiz to mark the start of the festivities, with all participants going into a draw to win a $1,000 gift card.

QIC is set to enhance the holiday shopping experience further with the launch of a new pop-up Valet service at Castle Towers, Canberra Centre, and Eastland from now until December 23.

The increasingly popular Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales event is expected to generate some $6.3 billion in sales over the next four days – around 10% of the total festive season spend.

* Nature: Black Friday 2023 How to Win