Black Friday sales drove Australian retail turnover up 2 per cent in November, according to fresh data.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said the rise came after a 0.4 per cent fall in October and a rise of 1 per cent in September.
ABS head of business statistics Robert Ewing said Black Friday sales had again a big hit in 2023 with retailers starting promotional periods earlier and running them for longer compared to previous years.
“The strong rise suggests that consumers held back on discretionary spending in October to take advantage of discounts in November,” he said.
“Shoppers may have also brought forward some Christmas spending that would usually happen in December.
“The popularity of Black Friday events is affecting spending patterns in the lead-up to Christmas.
“This causes more volatile monthly movements in seasonally adjusted data.”
There were rises in all retail industries in November but it was spending on discretionary goods boosted by Black Friday sales that drove most of the increase.
Household goods retailing rose 7.5 per cent, followed by department stores (4.2 per cent); clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (2.7 per cent); and other retailing (1.1 per cent).
Monthly turnover percentage change from previous month
“Retailers told us that the success of Black Friday sales was boosted by consumers seeking out discounts in response to cost-of-living pressures,” Ewing said.
Both food-related industries were up in November, with cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, and food retailing all rising 0.4 per cent.
Retail turnover grew across the country with large rises in all states and territories.
South Australia (2.8 per cent) had the largest rise, followed by Victoria (2.4 per cent). Both states had posted a fall in October.
“It’s clear that spending during Black Friday sales continues to grow across the country, with retail turnover increasing by more than 1 per cent in all states and territories,” Ewing said.
