Record Black Friday spend puts Australia at front of global retail trends

Black Friday 2025 delivered another step change in consumer behaviour, with new data from Adyen and Shopify showing Australians are among the world’s fastest adopters of mobile wallets, contactless payments and blended online–offline shopping.

Globally, Adyen processed US$43 billion in payments across the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend jumped 27% year-on-year, giving the platform a real-time view of shifting shopper behaviour. Shopify merchants generated US$6.2 billion in Black Friday sales, up 25% from last year.

Australia outpaced most markets on several fronts. Nearly half of all in-store purchases were made via mobile wallets, the highest rate globally, while contactless payments powered 97% of in-store transactions, far above the global average of 85%. In-store spending also beat online in average transaction value, a sign that physical retail continues to anchor big-ticket purchases even as digital sales accelerate.

SEE MORE: Black Friday 2025, the $6.8bn pressure test for Australian retail

Research from the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan suggest Black Friday spending across Australia could reach $6.8 billion this year.

Adyen’s local data shows buy now, pay later (BNPL) usage climbed 20% year-on-year as shoppers looked for flexible budgeting options. Online shopping peaked at 6pm AEST on Black Friday, while in-store activity hit its highest point at midday Saturday, matching the global pattern of footfall intensifying over the weekend.

Shopify’s Australian merchants saw peak sales at 10am on Black Friday, with Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane topping the charts. Clothing tops, cosmetics and activewear led orders. Cross-border purchases made up 14% of sales, and offline retail via Shopify POS climbed 53% compared with last year.

“This Black Friday has been record-breaking once again, with total sales globally reaching $6.2 billion, a 25% increase from last year,” Shaun Broughton, managing director, APAC and Japan at Shopify, said. “Despite economic pressure, the confidence on display this Black Friday highlights the enduring resilience of Australia’s retail sector.”

Globally, payment behaviours continued to shift. Digital wallets accounted for 33% of point-of-sale revenue on Adyen, up from 21% last year. BNPL volumes on Black Friday rose 43% compared with the previous month. Local payment methods remained stable at around 15%.

Peak shopping windows varied by country: the US hit its online peak at midday Friday, Sweden at 5pm, the UK, Poland and Australia at 6pm, and Germany at 9pm. France remained an outlier, with Sunday at 8pm emerging as the busiest moment.

In-store shopping globally followed a more predictable pattern, with most markets topping out on Saturday — midday in Australia, 1pm in Sweden and Poland, 2pm in Germany, Canada and the UK, and 4pm in France.

Adyen also noted that shoppers tend to return more during major sale periods. Last year’s Black Friday refund rate reached 11.32% versus a 12-month average of 8.33%.

For Australian retailers, the message is clear: value matters, flexibility wins and frictionless payments now define the customer experience. The strongest performers this year were those able to balance operational speed with seamless checkout experiences across both physical and digital channels.