ACCC Launches Third Black Friday Sweep
The consumer watchdog will check retailers' emails and social media for misleading Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions this year.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Couponing
Live Poll
Do you trust that advertised Black Friday discounts are genuine?
The ACCC will run its third Black Friday and Cyber Monday sweep, examining retailers' emails and social media for misleading promotions. The sweep targets sitewide sale claims, expired countdown timers, false stock-scarcity pressure tactics and inflated reference prices.
Why it matters
Most bargain hunting now begins with a push notification or sponsored post rather than a homepage, so the ACCC is looking beyond retailers' websites. The watchdog will also assess whether compliance with the Australian Consumer Law has improved over the past three years.
Scamwatch data shows 58.7% of financial-loss reports in the first nine months of 2026 concerned buying and selling scams. Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026, and the sweep's findings have not yet been released.
The players
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
Australia's national competition and consumer regulator, which enforces the Australian Consumer Law and runs the Scamwatch reporting service.
James Lane
An Australian fashion retailer that paid penalties over alleged false and misleading representations during the previous year's Black Friday sales.
Vuly
An Australian footwear brand that paid penalties alongside James Lane over alleged false and misleading representations during the previous year's Black Friday sales.
The details
The sweep will check for sitewide or storewide claims where many products are excluded, time-limited offers and countdown timers running past their stated end date, and pressure tactics such as misleading testimonials. It will also check sale prices against reference prices the product was not recently sold at, following penalties paid in June 2025 by Michael Hill, MyHouse and Hairhouse Warehouse Online, and by digiDirect over misleading strikethrough discounts.
Timeline
June 2025: Michael Hill, MyHouse and Hairhouse Warehouse Online paid penalties over alleged misleading sitewide sale claims.
September 2026: digiDirect paid penalties and admitted to misleading strikethrough discount claims.
27 November 2026: Black Friday falls on this date.
Market Pressure Points
The sweep follows penalties under the Australian Consumer Law against Michael Hill, MyHouse, Hairhouse Warehouse Online, digiDirect, James Lane and Vuly. It tests whether those enforcement actions have changed retailers' promotional practices across email and social channels.
Shoppers should treat sitewide sale claims and countdown timers with caution, comparing prices against recent sales before buying. Checking whether an offer applies to the product you want can prevent surprises at checkout.
The takeaway
Before acting on a countdown timer or a 'sitewide' sale, check the end date and exclusions, and compare the sale price with what the product recently sold for.
What happens next
Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026, when the ACCC's sweep of retailers' emails and social media promotions will be tested in practice.
Further reading
Find more on couponing tactics and how to spot misleading discounts.
Live Poll
Do you trust that advertised Black Friday discounts are genuine?
