Melbourne shoppers led the nation as Aussie Black Friday sales hit nearly $5 billion

Australia has raked in close to $5 billion in global Black Friday sales for 2022, with Melbourne leading the way among Australia’s cities in terms of purchases.

According to Shopify data released over the weekend, Australia made $4.97 billion in global sales for Black Friday — a 17% increase from the corresponding period in 2021.

Australia also ranked fourth in the top five countries globally spending on Black Friday sales, under the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

The Shopify data, which includes highlights from more than 100,000 Australian Shopify merchants during Black Friday, also showed that Melbourne shoppers purchased the most in Australia, followed by shoppers in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.

In addition, $167.99 was the average cart price per transaction, of Australian shoppers, which was up $163.28 from 2021, and $128.93 from 2020. There was also a 29% jump in Australian in-store Shopify POS sales from 2021.

Shopify managing director APAC Shaun Broughton says Black Friday is becoming one of the biggest commerce events in Australia.

“This year’s Black Friday is back with a bang in Australia, as it grows to be one of the biggest commerce events with average spending having broken records from previous years,” he said.

“We’ve seen consumers spend during this season to save in the long run, as they make more considered and conscious purchases from independent Aussie brands.

“It’s inspiring to see Shopify merchants buzzing this weekend, as they meet their customers online, in-store, or everywhere in between, to make a real connection and build loyalty with shoppers.”

Shopify also ran a global campaign over the weekend featuring five brands in five cities, which included Melbourne luggage startup and 2022 Smart50 winner July.

July founders Athan Didaskalou and Richard Li say they are extremely honoured to have been one of the five brands featured in Shopify’s global campaign.

“It shows that no matter where you are in the world you can create a world-class brand that can take on the majors,” Didaskalou said.

“Shopify has been a great partner for us in this growth path and their continued support will help us dominate globally.”

Didaskalou says Black Friday and the week before it was the biggest day and biggest week the brand has ever had in the business.

“So fair to say that travel is back on the cards for everyone,” he said.

“Black Friday was always a more American concept, but we’ve adopted it in Australia as our pre-Christmas shopping period because customers are looking for value and opportunities to buy more before the holidays.

“Melbourne has been particularly affected by lockdowns, so I imagine most are using their freedom to spend and see the world more.

“It’s been a huge year for us, and we are keen to continue the growth into 2023. We’re expanding to the UK, Europe, and SE Asia to give the people what they keep telling us they want: more July.”