Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are no longer just a weekend frenzy, with retailers dragging the deals through all of November.
What used to be a two-day shopping sprint has turned into a marathon of early-access offers, flash sales and nonstop notifications that make it harder for shoppers to keep up.
Australians are expected to spend a record $6.8 billion over the BFCM weekend, but it’s unclear whether they are excited or just exhausted.
Tracksuit brand lead Sam Brough said Cyber Monday has essentially become Cyber Month.
“BFCM has shifted from a sharp weekend spike to an entire month of hype,” he told Mediaweek.
“Brands now launch ‘early access’ deals from the start of November, creating a sales window that’s noisier, longer and far more competitive than ever.”
When hype turns into noise
Brough warns this arms race risks Australians tuning out of the famous sales holiday.
“Heavy discounting, inflated media costs and an over-reliance on rational, sales-led messaging are not the ingredients for sustainable brand or business growth,” he said.
“Any marketer can grow revenue during BFCM, but profitability is the real test of a healthy brand.”
Brough added that BFCM simply brings future sales forward in many cases.
“Most customers who buy during the sales would have purchased anyway, just later and at full price,” he said.
“That creates a short-term revenue spike, followed by a lull as demand has already been exhausted.
“It’s this dip that pushes brands into repeating the same discount cycle, fostering dependency on promotions and diluting long-term brand value.”
Beating BFCM burnout
Brough believes brands and retailers must strike a balance between creating sales hype and overwhelming consumers.
“Warren Buffett’s line, be fearful when others are greedy, is a useful lens for BFCM,” he said.
“Running your own race, rather than getting swept up in discount FOMO, can create real differentiation.
“Patagonia’s anti-consumption ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ campaign and Veja’s ‘Repair Friday’ initiative are great examples of brands zigging while others zag.”
Brough added that breakthrough brands think and act differently.
“They favour ‘outside the box’ approaches that align with their values, their margins and the kind of long-term customer relationships they want to build,” he said.
“The strongest brands stay true to their positioning, pricing discipline, and audience. BFCM is loud, but the customer’s voice is often the quietest in the room.
“The brands that go on to build era-defining businesses are the ones that tune out the noise and make decisions anchored in long-term customer value, not short-term hype. After all, brands live in memories, not campaigns.”