Black Friday spending took a dip this year, according to a leading payment company. A cautious consumer mindset seems to have impacted the biggest shopping day of the year.
While Black Friday 2025 still topped the charts as the highest spending day so far, it fell short of last year's record. Worldline, formerly known as Paymark, processed payments through its EFPOS machines and observed a 6.2% drop in spending compared to the previous year's Black Friday.
But here's where it gets controversial: the three-day weekend saw an overall decrease of 4.6% in spending. Bruce Proffit, Chief Sales Officer at Worldline NZ, noted that while many shoppers hit the stores, the amount they spent reflected a pattern of restraint, especially for non-food items.
"It seems consumers are still feeling the pinch at year-end. Clothing merchants saw higher spending than last year's Black Friday, but other sectors experienced a general decline," Proffit explained. He added that across three monitored categories, there was more spending on food and drink, less on hospitality, and a decrease in purchases from non-food retailers.
And this is the part most people miss: monthly figures for November show a small increase of 1.1% in spending compared to the same month last year. However, this growth was not uniform across regions. The West Coast, Whanganui, and Otago saw the highest retail spending growth, while Auckland/Northland, Wellington, and Gisborne experienced drops in spending.
So, what does this mean for the upcoming holiday season? Merchants are hoping for a spending boost in the busy weeks leading up to Christmas. But with budgets still tight, will consumers open their wallets wider? It's a question worth pondering. What are your thoughts on this year's Black Friday spending trends? Do you think the holiday season will bring a spending surge, or will consumers continue to tighten their belts? Share your predictions and insights in the comments below!
