The ACCC 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 ‘site-wide’ or ‘store-wide’ claims about sales, and claims of ‘up to X% off’, where few products are on sale at X% off.
“We 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,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
“Misleading advertising may influence a consumer’s behaviour and impact their ability to make an informed purchasing decision during the sales,” Ms Lowe said.
“We will pay special attention to retailers who were identified as having problematic sales practices in the sweep we conducted during last year’s Black Friday and Boxing Day sales and expect to see improved compliance across the retail sector.”
Retailers that use misleading or deceptive tactics during the Black Friday sales period may face enforcement action by the ACCC.
“If 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,” Ms Lowe said.
The ACCC 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.
“Consumers shopping during the Black Friday sales are encouraged to report promotions or ads that raise concerns to the ACCC, including images of the potential misconduct,” Ms Lowe said.
The best way for consumers to report any potentially misleading or deceiving advertising representations is by the ACCC website, where images and specific detail can be provided.
The ACCC 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 ACCC.
Background
The ACCC sweep will focus on a range of conduct, including:
- Misleading time representations, including, the use of phrases such as ‘3 days only’ and devices such as countdown timers that don’t 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.
- ‘Up to X% off’, where the ‘up to’ text is not prominently displayed, or where few or very few products are on sale at X% off.
- Misleading ‘was/now’ or ‘strikethrough’ pricing representations
In 2024, the ACCC 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 ACCC 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.
Media Release: Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)
