ACCC Black Friday sweep: a sales checklist for Adelaide businesses

On 10 November 2026, the ACCC announced its third Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales advertising sweep across multiple retail sectors. For the first time, the sweep will examine retailers’ advertising practices across websites, emails and social media.

For Adelaide businesses preparing promotions, that makes this a useful moment to review the whole campaign. Check what your website promises, what your email headline says and what appears in your social posts. Each version needs to accurately describe the sale.

Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November this year, followed by Cyber Monday on Monday 30 November. Use the lead-up to check the claims shoppers will see before your promotion goes live.

What the ACCC is looking at

The four focus areas are ‘sitewide’ or ‘storewide’ claims with a large number of products excluded; time-limited offers and countdown timers that continue beyond the stated end date; pressure tactics, including misleading testimonials and false low-stock claims; and sale prices compared with reference prices the items were never, or not recently, sold at.

ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said:

“Retailers risk ACCC enforcement action if they misrepresent the size, scope or duration of their sales. Retailers should not be relying on fine print disclaimers or exclusions to qualify the headline message of a promotion.”

The earlier sweeps also matter. Following the 2024 and 2025 sweeps, Michael Hill, My House and Hairhouse Warehouse Online paid penalties in June 2025, and digiDirect, James Lane and Vuly paid penalties in September 2026, for allegedly making false and misleading representations about their Black Friday Sales.

1. Check what ‘sitewide’ or ‘storewide’ actually covers

Start with the products included in the promotion. Compare that list with the headline on your homepage, email and social creative. Does the wording describe the sale’s actual scope?

If a large number of products are excluded, revisit the broad claim itself. The ACCC’s guidance says fine print and qualifications must not conflict with the overall message of an advertisement. Adding exclusions underneath a ‘storewide’ headline does not settle that concern.

Practical check: read the headline on its own, then compare it with the included products. Revise any wording that promises more than the promotion delivers.

2. Match countdowns and deadlines to the offer

Check every time-limited offer and countdown timer against the promotion’s stated end date. The ACCC is looking at offers that continue beyond that date, and warns that inaccurate countdown timers can create a false sense of urgency.

Review website timers alongside email subject lines and social captions. Look closely at phrases such as ‘ends tonight’ and make sure the intended finish time is consistent wherever it appears.

Practical check: note where each deadline appears and arrange to review those placements when the stated end time arrives. Check the offer itself as well as the words advertising it.

3. Review pressure tactics and scarcity messages

The sweep includes promotional tactics that pressure shoppers to buy, including misleading testimonials and scarcity messaging such as false claims that stock levels are low.

Read each urgency message and ask what supports it. If a post says stock is low, check that the statement reflects the stock position. Review testimonials for misleading claims before using them in sale content.

Practical check: flag every testimonial and stock-related message in your campaign draft. Check the evidence behind each claim and revise or remove anything you cannot substantiate. The ACCC’s guidance says businesses must be able to prove the claims they advertise.

4. Check ‘was’ and strikethrough prices against records

The ACCC is examining advertisements that compare sale prices with misleading reference prices, where items were never, or not recently, sold at those prices. This includes the familiar ‘was’ price or crossed-out price beside a sale price.

Review the relevant sales records before using that comparison. Do not treat an old figure in a product template as evidence that the item was recently sold at that price.

Practical check: work through the products featured in your promotion and confirm the basis for each reference price. Give the comparison the same attention in email graphics and social images as on product pages.

5. Review the campaign side by side

Put the website, email and social versions of the promotion together. Compare the headline, included products, deadline, scarcity messages and reference prices. If you change a claim in one place, check the other versions too.

Sources

• ACCC media release, 10 November 2026: https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-warns-against-misleading-%E2%80%98storewide%E2%80%99-or-%E2%80%98limited-time%E2%80%99-black-friday-sales-claims
• ACCC guidance, False or misleading claims: https://www.accc.gov.au/business/advertising-and-promotions/false-or-misleading-claims

This article is general information, not legal advice. Review the ACCC’s guidance when preparing promotions: https://www.accc.gov.au/business/advertising-and-promotions/false-or-misleading-claims