. Australian merchants using the e-commerce platform saw a 22.7 per cent increase in the number of consumers that purchased from brands powered by Shopify, with Australians ranking fourth globally in total spend. Average spend increased from $155.73 to $162.27 with mobile transactions driving 70 per cent of sales. Shopify also reported a 26 per cent increase in in-store sales – as tracked by its POS systems – compared to 2021.  The National Australia Bank has reported sales of over $7 billion for the four-day event, with its strongest categories being footwear, camera and electronics stores, which were up a respective 146, 116 and 65 per cent on the week prior.  Victoria and Tasmania saw the biggest increase in sales – according to the NAB report – with both up by 20 per cent, while spending in the ACT and Western Australia rose by 17 and 12 per cent respectively. The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) was also anticipating a massive Black Friday period. It forecasted sales to hit $6.2 billion in Australia – a $200 million increase on last year – with a quarter of Christmas shopping completed in the week of Black Friday. Although its results haven’t been released, ARA CEO Paul Zahra said that early indications point to a record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend based on foot traffic and anecdotal feedback.  But, he said the event’s success can only be determined at the end of the Christmas trading quarter. “We are optimistic about pre-Christmas trading, anticipating a $63.9 billion spend this year – up 3 per cent on 2021 spending according to our ARA-Roy Morgan predictions,” Zahra told Inside Retail.  “However, it’s important to acknowledge that price increases are a factor in these numbers, and are also driving Australians to spend, to get ahead of inflation.”  Increased popularity and productivity Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s south east went all out for the shopping event.  Expecting half a million patrons in the lead-up to Cyber Monday on 28 November, the shopping centre was open for business for 15 hours on Friday. Prior to the event, its workforce was set to increase by 80-100 per cent to prepare for the rush of crowds, with deals from retailers including LKSD, Koko Black and Legoland. While Chadstone was not yet ready to provide data, its centre manager Daniel Boyle told Inside Retail that Black Friday has continued to increase in popularity and productivity over the years. He expected that customers were eager to experience Chadstone’s in-store experience.  This was upheld by comments from National Retail Association deputy CEO Lindsay Carroll, who said that consumers were returning to bricks-and-mortar stores now that lockdowns were a thing of the past. Boyle also believes that the event is catching up to Boxing Day from a sales and traffic perspective, with 45 per cent of Chadstone’s sales occurring in November over the last two months to 2021, compared to 38 per cent over the same period in 2017. “This pattern of consumer behaviour is indicative of what you’ll see in the industry, [and] there’s an opportunity to bring forward bargains [and] purchases,” he said. Myer store manager Sophie Robertson said that the Chadstone branch sold over 100,000 skincare and makeup products, 35,000 fragrances, 49,000 towels and 16,000 dinner sets over Black Friday. She also said that electrical products such as air-fryers and Dyson products, as well as beauty products and fragrances, were popular. Robert Moore, CEO of leather goods and accessories brand Mon, said that the brand saw 100 per cent growth in November compared to the month prior, and that Black Friday and Cyber Monday accounted for over 40 per cent of monthly sales. He added that November had the highest average basket size in this financial year, so far. Rapid consumption exceeding benefits Although sales numbers appear to be strong, there’s a growing movement away from Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. As covered by Inside Retail, this is due to a range of factors, including its detrimental environmental impact, and the pressures on customers to impulse buy. An emerging model is Green Friday – created by Click Frenzy co-founder Peter Krideras – which emphasises conscious consumption, by offering discounts and deals from sustainability focused brands. Other brands, like ethical and sustainable knitwear brand Mia Fratino, chose to shut its online store for the second consecutive year. It did so to raise awareness around waste, and over-consumerism caused by the rampant fast-fashion industry.  Sustainable furniture company Ecosium imposed a 50 per cent surcharge on all orders placed during the two days, in order to highlight the excessive consumption that occurs over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and to bring an end to disposable furniture. Founder Luke Hopkins said he was pleased to say that no customers decided to take the brand up on its ‘offer.’ Instead, he said customers placed orders before or after the weekend. “We received a lot of positive feedback about the surcharge both from customers and other businesses,” he said. “It appears more and more people are realising that the weight of the issues caused by these festivals of rampant consumption far exceeds [its] individual benefits.”