Black Friday spending in 2025 has fallen short compared to 2024, highlighting how cautious consumer budgets are impacting holiday shopping. But here’s where it gets controversial—despite being the top spending day of the season so far, Black Friday 2025 didn’t match the previous year's figures, raising questions about the true strength of holiday retail in an evolving economic landscape.
A payment company, Worldline—formerly known as Paymark—analyzed transaction data from its EFPOS network, which connects bank accounts and cardholders, to gauge consumer activity during the pre-Christmas period. They reported that transactions for non-food goods on their network reached $55.6 million during Black Friday, which is a notable increase from Easter Sunday’s high of $49.1 million this year. However, this figure still represents a 6.2% decrease compared to the same day last year and a 4.6% drop over the entire three-day holiday weekend.
Bruce Proffit, Worldline NZ’s Chief Sales Officer, explained that although many shoppers still visited stores over the weekend, the spending patterns reveal some interesting trends. Specifically, consumers seemed more willing to spend on clothing than they did on Black Friday last year, yet overall spending in other categories was generally lower. This suggests that consumers are still managing tight budgets, especially during the holiday season.
Proffit pointed out that when looking at different spending categories monitored by Worldline, there was an increase in expenditure on food and beverages, but a decline in hospitality services and non-food retail purchases. Essentially, people are prioritizing essentials and comfort items, while cutting back on dining out and non-essential shopping.
Looking ahead, merchants are probably hoping for a boost in sales during the upcoming busy weeks before Christmas, as this period remains critical for retail success.
On a broader scale, the monthly data shows a modest overall increase in consumer spending. During November, a total of $40.09 billion was spent across Worldline’s network—representing a 1.1% rise compared to November 2024. Interestingly, regional spending growth varied: the West Coast experienced the largest increase at 6.3%, followed by Whanganui (5.4%) and Otago (5.0%). Conversely, spending declined in key areas like Auckland/Northland (down 0.3%), Wellington (down 1.0%), and Gisborne (down 1.8%).
All of this paints a picture of a cautious but still active consumer market, with regional differences highlighting varying economic conditions and consumer confidence. Will holiday spending rebound in the coming weeks, or are we witnessing a shift toward more restrained holiday budgets? That’s a question worth pondering—and perhaps debating in the comments.
