Retailers and manufacturer brands are holding sales more often throughout the year, meaning more opportunities to grab a discount
We’re seeing more businesses joining in on newer sales events like Black Friday and Click Frenzy or hosting their own ad hoc “flash” sales
We explain the key sales periods to look out for, the deals you can expect and how to get the best value
If you follow retailers on social media or get their newsletters, you’ll probably notice sales seem to be happening more often these days.
No longer are Boxing Day and the End of Financial Year events the undisputed jewels in the sales calendar crown – open your inbox or feed any time of year and there’ll be a posse of promotions swarming your senses.
These sales go by a range of novel names, like Black Friday, Click Frenzy and Prime Day and they sometimes even recur multiple times in a single year, making them hard to keep track of.
“There’s often a sale around every corner these days, so you shouldn’t feel too pressured by ‘buy now or miss out’ marketing tactics,” says CHOICE editorial director Mark Serrels.
“But knowing which sales pop up at certain times throughout the year, and what deals you can expect lets you plan your spending and avoid being rushed into an expensive case of buyer’s regret.”
Having kept an eye on these sales for a few years now, CHOICE is well-placed to let you in on this info. Here’s our guide to the 10 most common sales events worth looking out for this year.
The Black Friday sales in November and December are Australia’s biggest sale event.
Australia’s biggest shopping event, the Black Friday sales run from early November until early December.
But some brands may not join the fray until just before Black Friday itself (the last Friday in November), which marks the high point of these sales. The following Monday is known as Cyber Monday and may attract its own deals.
We’re seeing more retailers and manufacturer brands jump on the Black Friday trend every year – if your favourite outlet only holds one sale a year, it’ll either be at this time or around Boxing Day.
You can expect most Black Friday discounts from big retailers to range from 20% to 50%, though in rarer cases you might see reductions of up to 70–80%.
Such markdowns are broadly in line with what we see from retailers during other big sales events.
“Black Friday deals are rarely ‘the lowest price ever’ or ‘once in a lifetime’,” says Serrels. “You might get a deal just as good or even better at other sales throughout the year.”
Although it has now had its title as the biggest sale event of the year taken by Black Friday, the Boxing Day sales remain Australia’s most well-known discount event.
In line with the current trend of big sales lasting longer every year, many Boxing Day deals now drop before the day itself, and often even before we’ve reached Christmas.
Last year, we saw brands flick the Boxing Day switch as early as December 15. Most deals then lasted a few days into the new year, but some stuck around as late as the middle of January.
Discounts from major brands on Boxing Day tend to range from 30% to 50%, although bigger markdowns are possible.
Note that some retailers may refer to sales they hold at this time as “End of year” or “post Christmas” sales.
The End of Financial Year (EOFY) sales are another mainstay event familiar to many shoppers, occurring in the lead up to the end of Australia’s financial year on 30 June.
Recently, we’ve seen EOFY deals dropping as early as late May and staying in place until the first week of July.
A rush by businesses and consumers to get their financial affairs in order has led to this period becoming synomynous with sales.
Some retailers drop prices in order to clear old stock in time for the end of the fiscal year, while others compete to target shoppers looking for last minute purchases they can claim on tax.
You can therefore expect businesses to roll out discounts on work-related products like laptops and smartphones, along with promises to help “smash” your taxes and invitations to “claim everything you can”.
But just because a retailer says you can claim a purchase doesn’t always mean you can – acceptable deductions vary from person to person.
Click Frenzy sales happen periodically throughout the year, but only for a few days at a time.
Like Black Friday, Click Frenzy is another relatively recent arrival on the sales calendar, first surfacing in 2012.
The initiative was originally started by e-commerce company Global Marketplace and many retailers have since jumped on the bandwagon to drop prices for short periods of time at different points throughout the year.
The most reliable Click Frenzy sales occur in May and November, but some brands participate in smaller events in March and August.
Compared to the other sales we’ve covered so far, fewer retailers take part in Click Frenzy events and the sales themselves are fleeting, often lasting only four or five days.
Most Click Frenzy discounts we’ve seen over the years haven’t been as competitive as those offered during bigger events, usually sitting around 30%, but sometimes reaching as high as 70%.
Another bi-annual sales event, the Afterpay Day sales drop every March and August.
The event is organised by Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service Afterpay and many major retailers who let customers pay with Afterpay regularly take part.
You don’t need to use Afterpay to buy products at these sale prices, but you may need to engage the service to be eligible for separate reward schemes run by the company.
Like Click Frenzy, these sales can come and go in the blink of an eye, often only lasting for a few days.
It’s worth noting that users of BNPL services like Afterpay have found themselves in significant debt in the past, due to fewer regulations and consumer protections applying to these platforms.
But times have started to change – following campaigning by CHOICE and other consumer advocates, these companies now have to comply with credit laws and be members of an independent dispute resolution scheme.
The Prime Day sales are run by e-commerce behemoth Amazon for several days every July.
Unsurprisingly, these sales are exclusive to Amazon’s shopping platforms and, what’s more, you may have to be a member of the company’s Prime service to get goods at sale prices.
While Amazon’s own products have previously made up a significant part of sales inventory, products from other manufacturers are also usually included.
Along with its main Prime Day event, Amazon has occasionally held a separate “Prime Big Deal Day” in October.
7. Flash sales
These sudden, time-limited discounts that can crop up at any time are a leading example of how the internet has changed the way we interact with brands.
With email and social media giving businesses a way to reach us any time of the day or night, retailers have capitalised on this access and sought to keep us engaged by occasionally dropping prices for “flash sales”.
These can be as short as 24 hours. Discounts often rival those we see during flagship events like Black Friday, but their fleeting nature means they can be easily missed.
Clearance sales can also be unpredictable, but on the plus side, they last longer than flash deals and some large retailers host them reliably throughout the year.
For example, we often see large outlets like David Jones, Myer and Harvey Norman drop prices in the name of clearance in January, May and June.
Some retailers may roll their clearance sales into or out of big sales events like Boxing Day and Black Friday.
Clearance sales can bring some uncharacteristically big discounts – for example, mattress brand Koala’s Black Friday and EOFY discounts tend to hover around 25–30%, but a clearance sale the company hosted last year saw it reduce prices on some products by half.
But it pays to remember what “clearance” actually means – retailers festooning their stores and websites with this message may be attempting to offload unpopular stock.
Check CHOICE reviews and compare prices to make sure you’re not being handed a poor-performing product.
9. Mid-season sales
Another sales trend with no set timeframe, we see these events pop up periodically throughout the year.
Pay attention during March-April and September – this is when we most consistently see mid-season discounts from major brands.
10. Special events
David Jones ran a sale coinciding with China’s ‘Singles’ Day’ in 2024. Image: David Jones
If that’s not enough, retailers have previously been known to host sales to coincide with Mother’s and Father’s Day.
But CHOICE experts recommend checking if the products involved are actually being discounted.
“These ‘deals’ might be an attempt to re-package products to appeal to shoppers in a hurry,” says Serrels. “Compare prices to see if they actually represent a decent discount.”
If you keep an eye on a retailer’s emails or social media, you might also be given the opportunity to take advantage of birthday sales marking the anniversary of the business’ founding.
For example, last year retailer Appliances Online claimed to offer “huge savings” in celebration of its 20th birthday.
Finally, we’ve also seen retailers jumping on some sales trends that are relatively unknown to Australian consumers.
In 2024, David Jones picked up on a trend among Chinese businesses and offered a ‘Singles’ Day’ sale, with discounts on beauty products.
Stay informed: Follow your favorite brands on social media and sign up to their email newsletters to catch sales as they’re announced.
Look for the fine print: Look for details at the bottom of emails and promotions for any information on how long a sale will last for, to avoid being pressured to make a quick purchase.
Compare prices: Consider using price tracking tools to compare prices and see how a sale discount compares to a product’s previous going rate – this will let you know if you’re actually getting a deal.
Do your homework: Check CHOICE reviews of a whole range of popular products to avoid buying a dud.
Check return and delivery policies in advance: While retailers have to give you a refund, replacement or repair when a product is faulty, you’re not guaranteed a remedy if you simply change your mind.
Avoid expensive add-ons: Don’t spoil your bargain by paying for accessories that could be cheaper elsewhere or an unnecessary extended warranty or shipping protection policy.
Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney.
Find Liam on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney.
Find Liam on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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