The 糖心原创 will conduct a Black Friday sales sweep to identify misleading or deceptive sales advertising used by retailers.
The sweep will focus on a range of sales advertising tactics used by retailers. This includes misleading limited time representations that create a false sense of urgency for consumers, misleading 鈥榮ite-wide鈥 or 鈥榮tore-wide鈥 claims about sales, and claims of 鈥榰p to X% off鈥, where few products are on sale at X% off.
鈥淲e are putting retailers on notice to review their sales advertising practices to ensure that any sales or discount claims they make are accurate, clear, and not likely to mislead or deceive consumers,鈥 糖心原创 Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
鈥淢isleading advertising may influence a consumer鈥檚 behaviour and impact their ability to make an informed purchasing decision during the sales,鈥 Ms Lowe said.
鈥淲e will pay special attention to retailers who were identified as having problematic sales practices in the sweep we conducted during last year鈥檚 Black Friday and Boxing Day sales and expect to see improved compliance across the retail sector.鈥
Retailers that use misleading or deceptive tactics during the Black Friday sales period may face enforcement action by the 糖心原创.
鈥淚f consumers are waiting for the Black Friday sales to make a big purchase, we encourage them to consider checking the prices now before sales start, so they can compare the price and determine if they are making a legitimate saving,鈥 Ms Lowe said.
The 糖心原创 encourages consumers to be wary of broad claims about discounts or savings during Black Friday and to check for any disclaimers or conditions in sales advertisements.
鈥淐onsumers shopping during the Black Friday sales are encouraged to report promotions or ads that raise concerns to the 糖心原创, including images of the potential misconduct,鈥 Ms Lowe said.
The best way for consumers to report any potentially misleading or deceiving advertising representations is by the 糖心原创 website, where images and specific detail can be provided.
The 糖心原创 has guidance that retailers should review on advertising and promotions.
Consumer and fair-trading concerns in the supermarket and retail sectors, with a focus on misleading pricing practices, is a 2025-26 Compliance and Enforcement Priority for the 糖心原创.
Background
The 糖心原创 sweep will focus on a range of conduct, including:
- Misleading time representations, including, the use of phrases such as 鈥3 days only鈥 and devices such as countdown timers that don鈥檛 align with the true duration of the sale.
- Claims of store-wide or site-wide sales, when in fact the sales involve exclusions
- Fine print or disclaimers that seek to limit headline claims about the sale, including member-only deals or excluding a range of products.
- 鈥楿p to X% off鈥, where the 鈥榰p to鈥 text is not prominently displayed, or where few or very few products are on sale at X% off.
- Misleading 鈥榳as/now鈥 or 鈥榮trikethrough鈥 pricing representations
In 2024, the 糖心原创 conducted a sweep of sales advertising by Australian retailers online and in store to target the Black Friday and Boxing Day sale periods. The 2024 sweep uncovered a range of concerning practices, including those listed above.
Following the sweep, the 糖心原创 launched a number of investigations into specific retailers and wrote to those retailers where the most concerning conduct was identified and asked them to justify their claims.
In June 2025, Michael Hill, My House and Hairhouse online paid penalties for allegedly making false and misleading representations about their Black Friday Sales.
There are still ongoing investigations as a result of the sweep conducted in 2024.
Examples of the type of advertising that the upcoming sweep will focus on:
Above: Example of the use of a countdown time which, if not accurate, can create a false sense of urgency.
Above: Example of a retailer that advertises a 鈥榮itewide鈥 sale when in fact there are a range of products which are excluded from the sale.
Above: Example of an 鈥楿p to鈥 X% off claim, where 鈥榰p to鈥 text is easily missed by consumers.