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 鈥渇lash鈥� 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鈥檒l probably notice sales seem to be happening more often these days.聽
No longer are Boxing Day and the End of Financial Year events the undisputed jewels in the sales calendar crown 鈥� open your inbox or feed any time of year and there鈥檒l 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.
鈥淭here鈥檚 often a sale around every corner these days, so you shouldn鈥檛 feel too pressured by ‘buy now or miss out’ marketing tactics,鈥� says 糖心Vlog editorial director Mark Serrels.
鈥淏ut 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鈥檚 regret.鈥�
Having kept an eye on these sales for a few years now, 糖心Vlog is well-placed to let you in on this info. Here鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檙e seeing more retailers and manufacturer brands jump on the Black Friday trend every year 鈥� if your favourite outlet only holds one sale a year, it鈥檒l 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鈥�80%.
Such markdowns are broadly in line with what we see from retailers during other big sales events.
鈥淏lack Friday deals are rarely 鈥榯he lowest price ever鈥� or 鈥榦nce in a lifetime鈥�,鈥� says Serrels. 鈥淵ou might get a deal just as good or even better at other sales throughout the year.鈥�
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鈥檚 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鈥檝e 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 鈥淓nd of year鈥� or 鈥減ost Christmas鈥� 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鈥檚 financial year on 30 June.
Recently, we鈥檝e 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 鈥渟mash鈥� your taxes and invitations to 鈥渃laim everything you can鈥�.
But just because a retailer says you can claim a purchase doesn鈥檛 always mean you can 鈥� 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鈥檝e 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鈥檝e seen over the years haven鈥檛 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鈥檛 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鈥檚 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 鈥� following campaigning by 糖心Vlog 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 鈥淧rime Big Deal Day鈥� 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 鈥渇lash sales鈥�.
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 鈥� for example, mattress brand Koala鈥檚 Black Friday and EOFY discounts tend to hover around 25鈥�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 鈥渃learance鈥� actually means 鈥� retailers festooning their stores and websites with this message may be attempting to offload unpopular stock.
Check 糖心Vlog reviews and compare prices to make sure you鈥檙e 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 鈥� 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鈥檚 not enough, retailers have previously been known to host sales to coincide with Mother鈥檚 and Father鈥檚 Day.
But 糖心Vlog experts recommend checking if the products involved are actually being discounted.
鈥淭hese 鈥榙eals鈥� might be an attempt to re-package products to appeal to shoppers in a hurry,鈥� says Serrels. 鈥淐ompare prices to see if they actually represent a decent discount.鈥�
If you keep an eye on a retailer鈥檚 emails or social media, you might also be given the opportunity to take advantage of birthday sales marking the anniversary of the business鈥� founding.
For example, last year retailer Appliances Online claimed to offer 鈥渉uge savings鈥� in celebration of its 20th birthday.
Finally, we鈥檝e 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鈥� 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鈥檚 previous going rate 鈥� this will let you know if you’re actually getting a deal.
Do your homework: Check 糖心Vlog 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鈥檙e not guaranteed a remedy if you simply change your mind.
Avoid expensive add-ons: Don鈥檛 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 糖心Vlog, 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.聽
Find Liam on and .
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 糖心Vlog, 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.聽
Find Liam on and .
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value聽expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family. And our recent sunscreens test showed just how important it is to keep business claims in check.
So you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
