Black Friday is a great time for bargain hunting, and with the current cost-of-living crisis, it becomes even more important to find the best price on something or the other.
While Black Friday itself is officially in the past now – having come and gone on November 25 – Cyber Monday is closing off the big sale weekend on November 28. So you really don't have a lot of time to shop around if you want to bag those savings.
Most retailers will likely stick with the same set of offers they've already listed, but a lot is dependent on stocks. This is particularly true for tech this year, with items like Apple products and cameras potentially suffering from the ongoing supply-chain issues that the pandemic started a couple of years ago. So if you see something you like at a price that suits you, we'd recommend getting it sooner rather than later.
This year on T3 Australia, we've decided to take a different tack on our Black Friday deals coverage. Since we really don't quite know what exactly you'd like to buy, we've decided to list our pick of the best Aussie retailers – divided into categories – so you can head to their sites and find something that catches your fancy.
Where to find the best Black Friday 2022 deals
Black Friday deals are available from most online retailers. Whether you're after furniture or tech, fashion items or anything else in between (even pantry staples and toiletries), we've got you covered with a variety of retailers listed below, all of whom have a Black Friday sale going on.
Fashion & Beauty
- Adore Beauty: skincare, hair care and more beauty essentials
- Amazon: clothes, shoes, accessories and more
- ASOS: clothing, footwear, accessories and beauty products
- Kogan: clothes, shoes and more for men, women and children
- MAC Cosmetics: beauty essentials, including gift packs
- Myer: fragrances, make-up and more
- Natonic: discounts on skincare products and fragrances
- Oakley: sunglasses for everyone
- Ray-Ban: classics that never get old
- Sephora: cosmetics, skincare, fragrances
- Shiels: discounts on jewellery
- Sketchers: comfy shoes for him, her and the l'il 'uns
- Sunglass Hut: sunglasses from several brands
- The Iconic: clothing, footwear and much more
- Vans: shoes and clothing
Home & kitchen
- Adairs: bedding, bath and furniture
- Amazon: furniture, home decor, small appliances and more
- Breville: small appliances for the home and kitchen
- Big W: discounts on a homewares and small appliances
- eBay Australia: a variety of homewares, furniture and more
- Ecosa: mattresses-in-a-box and bedding
- Ecovacs: robot vacuum specialists
- Emma Sleep: award-winning mattresses and pillows
- Eva Home: mattresses, sofas, bed frames and more
- ErgoTune: one of the best office chairs in Australia
- KitchenAid: some of the best kitchen appliances in the business
- Koala: comfy mattresses, bedding and select furniture
- Kogan: bedding, manchester, cookwares and more
- Myer: homewares, furniture, kitchenware and more
- Nespresso: discounts on coffee machines and pods, even bundles
- SteelCase: ergonomic office chairs
- Target: bedding and other homewares for less
Gaming
- Amazon: gaming consoles and software
- eBay Australia: from gaming laptops to the games themselves
- Fanatical: games for less
- Green Man Gaming: games and game keys
- Dell: gaming laptops from Dell and Alienware, plus peripherals
- HP: Omen gaming laptops with grunt
- Lenovo: Legion-branded gaming beasts
- Razer: some of the best gaming laptops and accessories in the business
- Secretlab: discounts on top gaming chairs
Tech
- Amazon: phones, audio gear, cameras, ereaders and much more
- Apple: bonus gift card with select purchases until November 28
- Bose: headphones, speakers, soundbars
- CameraPro: great prices on cameras and lenses
- Dell: Inspiron and XPS laptops, monitors and desktop PCs
- DigiDirect: cameras and photography gear for less
- Dyson: arguably the best in floor care, hair care and air care
- eBay Australia: phones, cameras, audio gear, TVs and more
- Google Store: Pixel phones, buds, Nest smart home devices
- HP: laptops for less
- JB Hi-Fi: a wide variety of electronics, from phones to TVs and accessories
- Kogan: headphones, speakers, smartphones and more
- Lenovo: Yoga laptops and 2-in-1s, plus ThinkPad workhorses
- Microsoft: discounts on Surface devices and bundles
- Samsung: Android smartphones and tablets
- Sonos: wireless speakers, soundbars and smart speakers straight from the maker
- The Good Guys: phones, TVs, audio and more
- Wireless 1: offers on tablets, laptops, audio, phones and more
Fitness & outdoors
- Adidas: running shoes and apparel
- Adventure Kings: camping gear, paddle boards, gazebos and more
- Amazon: from camping gear to fitness wearables
- Asics: running shoes and activewear
- BCF: fishing, camping and all other outdoor needs
- Chain Reaction: for all your cycling needs
- EcoFlow: portable power backup for camping and emergencies
- Gymshark: British fitness apparel now available in Australia
- Kogan: camping and outdoor needs for less
- Lululemon: yoga and fitness apparel for men and women
- New Balance: running and walking shoes, plus clothing too
- Nike: discounts on select shoes and apparel
- Rebel Sports: fitness gear, apparel and tech
- Reebok: casual and training shoes for everyone
- The Athlete's Foot: up to 40% on sportswear
- The North Face: outdoor clothing, shoes and equipment
- Wiggle: cycling, running and swimming gear
Food and wine
- Amazon: alcohol, pantry staples, even toiletries
- Coravin: wine preservation systems to keep 'em fresh
- eBay Australia: cases of wine and spirits for less
- EveryPlate: affordable meal kits with up to 50% off
- Kogan: discounts on wine cases
- Liquorland: 10% off sitewide with promo code TEN
Wellness and Personal Care
- Amazon: electric toothbrushes, shavers, trimmers and more
- Kogan: epilators, shavers, toothbrushes and more
- Lovehoney: adult toys and lingerie for less
- The Shaver Shop: huge discounts on personal care and beauty tech
Appliances
- Appliance Central: whitegoods, TVs and other electronics
- Appliances Online: large appliances for the entire home
- Betta Home Living: large and small appliances
- eBay Australia: discounts on Dyson, Breville. Nespresso and more
- Ecovacs Robotics: some of the best robot vacuums in Australia
- Samsung: the Bespoke range of appliances are good looking and top performers
- The Good Guys: fridges, dishwashers, washing machines and other large appliances
Toys and hobbies
- Big W: sale on games, books and more
- Booktopia: wide range of ebooks and Kobo ereaders
- Donner Music: taking care of your musical needs
- eBay Australia: toys, musical instruments, collectibles and more
- Lego Australia: blocks for kids and the young at heart
- Sanity: games, movies, vinyl, books, collectibles and other merch
Pets
- Petbarn: more than just essential pet supplies
- Pet Circle: food, toys and more
- Pet House: pet apparel, treats, toys and more
Miscellaneous
- SuperCheap Auto: for all your automotive needs
- Trend Micro: up to 70% off antivirus suites
Black Friday 2022: when is it?
As mentioned earlier, Black Friday 2022 kicks off officially on November 25. That puts Cyber Monday on November 28.
That said, Aussies are treated to a longer sale period than just four days. Retailers have been jumping the gun and starting early deals about a week ahead, but these can change, with the best offers showing up only on the four main days of the sale.
Black Friday 2022: what is it?
After becoming a part of US shopping culture in the late 1980s, the first Black Friday happened in Australia in 2013. This nationwide buying frenzy has been intensifying and expanding in our country with each new year. In 2019, online purchases spiked with a 42% increase over Black Friday’s four-day weekend. In 2020, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that retailers saw a 13.2% increase in overall turnover, despite the pandemic, with Aussies spending about AU$8 billion over the entire weekend.
This year, we’re expecting that sales records will be broken again, now that in-person shopping is now back in full swing, and online shopping is still the new norm. Retailers are now looking forward to massive turnovers, while shoppers eagerly anticipate which bargains they might be able to snag when the time comes - perhaps some of the deepest discounts of the year.
But how did it all start across the Pacific in the first place? Black Friday marks the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US, kicking off the start of the Christmas shopping period. It has now evolved into a global shopping extravaganza where staggering discounts and huge deals are offered by thousands of retailers.
While highly popular among those who prefer to shop from physical businesses, having historically led to literal stampedes through shop doors, Black Friday is a fixture in the world of online shopping too. Black Friday now competes with Boxing Day as Australia’s biggest annual shopping event. While varying reasons behind its name stretch back to 1869, its most positively meant to represent a company’s revenue moving out of the red and into the black of profit.
What time do Black Friday deals start?
While we expect the first discounts to be rolled out around November 18, we should see discounts on the official day to be available from midnight (12am) AEDT on November 25, 2022.
We’ve found that the best Black Friday deals generally land on the week of the sale itself, while the most popular products will likely only be discounted on November 25. In some cases, you might spot a discount being advertised at the start of November. If you spot a price that you like ahead of Black Friday, it’s worth going for it, particularly a tech item as stocks are still questionable.
Discounts that are advertised earlier often receive far less competition, which means you can get your hands on them before the crowds swarm. We do recommend keeping your item in its box until the Black Friday deals have ended completely, in case a much better price arises later in the month. Your previous purchase can always be returned.
How does Black Friday work?
On Black Friday, you will find radical savings advertised in physical businesses, while online retailers will offer discounts or promotional codes to their patrons and members. Certain retailers such as eBay require you to be a member in order to secure product deals before Black Friday rolls around, while having your payment details ready will ensure you don’t miss out on hot items.
As with any other shopping mission, it helps to be organised.
What will be the best Black Friday 2022 deals?
As proven over recent years, the two product categories to receive the most sales on Black Friday were tech and fashion. That being said, Black Friday discounts can apply to nearly any product you can imagine – from furniture to fashion, tech to travel.
Black Friday 2022 will be a great time to pick up a superb mattress that's just right for you for a lot less than usual. Need to update your home office setup? You'll be able to get standing desk, office chairs, laptops, monitors and other peripherals relatively cheaply. You can update your wardrobe too, picking up workout clothes and shoes or formal wear too.
From simple ereaders to fancy tablets, smartwatches and smartphones, headphones and so much more... there's really going to be a lot to keep savvy shoppers happy.
And consider the sale is late in November, it's going to be a great time to finish off your Christmas shopping too.
What were the best Black Friday deals from 2021?
Last year’s global Black Friday discounts were averaged at about 24% off. In Australia, we saw discounts to be averaged between 25% to 30% on tech alone. For example, laptops can receive discounts of up to 40% off, while the prices of personal audio gear such as headphones and speakers can be slashed down by 27%. Other items can drop well below the half-price mark, such as Garmin’s multi-sport watches, which were sold with a 52% discount on Amazon last year.
Every different category will receive differing discounts from varying retailers, but they’ll all be jostling for your attention so many amazing offers will be available.
Here’s a brief selection of the top offers from last year’s Black Friday sale, to give you an indication of what to expect this time.
How to find the best Black Friday 2022 deals
Getting the best deals on Black Friday 2022 depends on the amount of research you’ve done before the day. Write up a list of items you’d love to own, and determine what you want to get from the sale to hone your focus down.
When you know what you’re looking for, take the next step by finding a brand or model that suits you, but look at what features and specs you need and budget accordingly. You can also check previous sales to see if your shopping list aligns with previous prices to keep things realistic.
The next step is to consider which things you could do without if they’re sold out on Black Friday, and which things you’d really love to own and couldn’t stand to risk losing. When the heat is on, you’ll know what to look for.
Also be aware to widen your gaze and check that there aren’t better prices on your wish list items elsewhere before you buy. Bundles and free gifts are bonus perks to look out for from retailers who are competing for your purchases on Black Friday. Be sure to check other retailers' offers before buying, but rest assured, you can rely on us for details on the biggest value savings.
Amazon Black Friday 2022: get a free Prime account
Amazon is one website that consistently offers great savings around Black Friday on pretty much every category of item the online retail giant deals in. These discounts are typically the best of the year and equal the record-low prices on its own devices seen during Prime Day, if not better.
There will be a dedicated Black Friday deals page on Amazon Australia where all the offers will be collated as the sale progresses. If you think you're going to be shopping quite a lot on Amazon during the big November sale, it would help to be a Prime member. This will save you plenty of dosh on shipping, plus some members in Sydney and Melbourne will also be eligible for one-day free shipping. Prime members also get to shop discounts about 30 minutes ahead of everyone else, and there are plenty of offers that are exclusive to subscribers.
You can sign up for a Prime membership now as Amazon sweetens the deal by offering a 30-day free trial – which will cover the sale period – and you can cancel any time. This will let you take advantage of Amazon's Black Friday sale and save you money on the Prime subscription.
This year’s Prime Day from July 12-13 was Amazon’s biggest ever event so far, in terms of deals and engagement. Black Friday is shaping up to be just as big.
