If you’re a hardened veteran of Black Friday sales then you’ll know that there are some pretty outstanding bargains to be found. However, if you’ve been thinking about checking out the annual sales extravaganza and never really known where to start, then this guide is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Let’s dive into the What, When, Why and How of Black Friday!

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the biggest sales event on the calendar.

The term first started in America where the Friday after Thanksgiving was seen as the start of Christmas shopping season. Increased crowds in the cities resulted in the busiest shopping and traffic day of the year for many retailers.

The popularity of Black Friday sales boomed across America in the 1980’s and hordes of shoppers would line up for hours outside stores, desperate to get their hands on heavily discounted goods. (Google ‘Crazy Black Friday Crowds’ to see the lengths some shoppers would go to!)

In the last 20 years the impact of globalisation and the internet has seen Black Friday become an increasingly popular event around the world.

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday always falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the USA, which also happens to be around one month before Christmas. In 2023 that will be Friday, 24th November.

However, gone are the days when Black Friday was a single day event. Where Black Friday was traditionally about driving in store sales, Cyber Monday emerged in 2005 focused on online retail. Cyber Monday is always the Monday following Black Friday, and with most businesses keeping their sales running over the Saturday and Sunday between, the whole period has become known as Cyber Weekend.

Furthermore, with the growth of online shopping creating a more competitive marketplace, increasingly retailers are looking to get a leg up by starting their sales period up to 2 weeks early, so the mad rush and crazy crowds are a thing of the past.

Why is Black Friday great... especially for tech?

Retailers from every industry get involved with Black Friday, so whatever you are after there is a good chance you’ll find some kind of sale for it. In particular, for many retailers it is a fantastic opportunity to clear out old stock with big discounts to make space for Christmas and New Year lines. If you don’t mind older models, you could save BIG on the Black Friday sales, but don’t expect to see much of a discount (if any) on the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max, for example.

In Australia, the average Black Friday discount is 25%, but if you're shopping for tech you could do even better! In previous years laptops have been up to 40% off the RRP, whilst bluetooth headphones and speakers have been around 27% off on average. If you’re looking to pick up a new phone or smartwatch, you can often find models that are 2-3 years old at better than half price!

Also, since many retailers work out their sales based on a percentage discount, you’ll get bigger dollar savings on the big ticket items. This is why Black Friday has typically been a great time to shop for TVs, PCs, Games Consoles, and other high end tech products.

How to get the BEST deals!

The Black Friday sales are not a time to be window shopping. They are a time for buying!

If something has a really hot price, in all likelihood it will sell out quickly, so do your research before the sales start and plan what you want to find. Then, when the sales drop, quickly compare prices on that item and grab it before it's gone. Once you have ticked off all the items on your list, then you can casually browse for anything that grabs your eye.

It is also a great idea to follow the big brands that you are interested in on social media. They will likely be doing announcements about their Black Friday sales in the lead up to the event. This could contain lots of useful information for planning, such as the date their sale will start, potential discounts or hot items.

So there you have it. With a little planning you can definitely score some great savings this Black Friday, whether treating yourself or buying gifts for Christmas!