Why November Matters More Than December for Australian Retailers

For many years, Australian retailers viewed Christmas and Boxing Day as the most important moments in the retail calendar. And for shoppers, the post-Christmas rush used to feel like an experience. But consumer behaviour has shifted; the latest performance data tells a different story. Where in recent years, that excitement has slowly been pulled forward and stretched out across the entire season.

Aussie shoppers are becoming increasingly cautious about when they spend and what they spend their money on. This sentiment is reflected in Australian consumer confidence (ANZ–Roy Morgan), which fell by two points to 81.5 in the week of 9  to 15 December, sitting below both the same week last year and the 2025 weekly average. However, it is not all negative news. Some retailers continue to perform strongly despite tighter conditions. Shopify reported US$14.6 billion in Black Friday Cyber Monday sales for 2025, representing a 27% year-on-year increase.

Megantic’s Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2025 analysis reveals that brands investing early in BFCM visibility significantly outperform those that wait until December, not just during sales events, but across the entire quarter. The BFCM hype is real!

This period is a sharp reminder of what really drives performance: aligning your SEO and onsite experience with real customer intent and having a specific BFCM strategy in place before the November rush hits.

November is no longer the ‘pre-peak shopping period’ but has become ‘the peak shopping period’. Across the 90-day sales window leading into Christmas, November accounted for 24% of total revenue, more than double the contribution of December (11%) and October (11%) combined.

Black Friday Cyber Monday Sales outperform Christmas Boxing Day Sales

The performance gap between November and December for 2025 was stark. Our Analytics team found:

During the BFCM window, retailers with a defined BFCM SEO strategy recorded:

• 97% month-on-month growth in organic revenue
• 23% year-on-year growth
• Higher sessions, stronger conversion rates, and significantly more revenue than brands without a strategy

In contrast, the Christmas period showed clear declines when compared to BFCM:

• Clicks fell by 15%
• Sessions dropped by 12%
• Revenue declined by 40%
• Conversion rates fell by 23%

By the time Christmas and Boxing Day arrive, most purchasing decisions have already been made. Boxing Day still plays a role, particularly for clearance and inventory management. However, it is no longer the primary growth lever for online retailers. Today, Boxing Day supports fulfilment. BFCM drives growth. Retailers that continue to focus their strategy too late in the year could risk missing the most valuable window for demand capture, discovery, and revenue acceleration.

 Key Takeaways from the sales period:

• Megantic clients with a BFCM strategy saw a 23% revenue lift (YoY) compared to Megantic clients who didn’t run a BFCM strategy.
• Shopify reported US$14.6B in BFCM sales for 2025, up 27% YoY.
• Australia Post recorded its busiest delivery day ever, with Aussies spending $1.5B+ across BFCM and parcel volume up 6.3% YoY.

Want to make 2026 your most profitable year yet?

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Megantic BFCM Analysis Report Infographic