Black Friday 2025: What South Africans bought and how much they spent

From R3bn in grocery purchases to reported R1m transactions, here's what South Africans spent their money on during Black Friday 2025.

Black Friday 2025 saw South Africans open their wallets in a major shopping spree, with spending estimates pointing to another record-breaking weekend for retailers.

From everyday groceries and festive season essentials to high-value purchases running into hundreds of thousands of rands, the shopping event offered a snapshot of how consumers were spending their money.

Estimates at the time suggested that total Black Friday weekend spending could reach between R146 billion and R153bn, representing a 5% to 10% increase on the approximately R139bn recorded in 2024.

IOL research also suggested that spending could surpass R160bn if consumers continued shopping throughout the remainder of November.

While many South Africans focused on everyday bargains, Black Friday 2025 also produced some extraordinary individual transactions.

According to Discovery Bank's Black Friday SpendTrend dashboard, one shopper reportedly spent R500,000 in a single transaction on Black Friday.

Absa data also revealed that another customer spent R1 million in a single purchase at a car-rental service.

However, the average shopping basket was considerably smaller.

Discovery Bank estimated that the average in-store purchase was around R455, compared with approximately R969 for online transactions.

The figures highlighted the different ways consumers participated in the shopping event, from smaller everyday purchases to significant once-off spending.

Groceries were another major spending category during the 2025 Black Friday weekend.

Groceries were another major spending category during the 2025 Black Friday weekend.

According to Capitec, consumers spent approximately R3bn on groceries over the weekend, with more than 10 million grocery transactions processed.

The figures demonstrated the importance of essential household purchases during major retail promotions, as shoppers looked for opportunities to stock up on products they would need regardless of the shopping season.

The spending surge was not limited to major shopping centres and online retailers.

Capitec reported increased merchant turnover in township economies, with areas including Soweto, Tembisa North and Khayelitsha recording notable growth compared with a typical November weekend.

In Soweto, merchant turnover increased by as much as 71%.

The bank said Black Friday also presented small and medium-sized enterprises with an opportunity to stock up ahead of the festive season.

Beyond the impressive transaction figures, Black Friday has increasingly become an indicator of household spending patterns and consumer confidence.

Anchor Capital economist Casey Sprake described the 2025 shopping event as a meaningful barometer of consumer sentiment, household resilience and underlying demand-side conditions.

With inflation easing and borrowing costs relatively more manageable at the time, consumers appeared more willing to spend, although value remained an important consideration.

For retailers, the figures reinforced Black Friday's position as one of the year's most significant shopping opportunities.

For consumers, the 2025 spending patterns also highlighted how shopping behaviour extended beyond a single day, with households using November promotions to purchase essentials and prepare for the festive season.

As South Africans approach Black Friday 2026, the previous year's figures provide an interesting benchmark for measuring how consumer spending, retail activity and the appetite for discounts have evolved.