Sales sham: 1 in 2 shoppers notice product price hikes before sale season
Millions of shoppers have noticed price hikes on retail products before a sales period, according to new research by Finder.
A Finder survey of 1,095 respondents revealed more than half (52%) – equivalent to 10.9 million people – have noticed a product go up in price ahead of a sale period.
The research found 1 in 10 (11%) bought the product anyway – equivalent to 2.3 million shoppers who were knowingly misled but went ahead with the purchase regardless.
A further 2 in 5 (41%) decided against it.
Chris Jager, shopping expert at Finder, said it's important to stay vigilant for retailers looking to take advantage of consumers during the sales season.
"Some retailers artificially inflate prices right before a sale to make the discounts seem larger than they actually are.
"In doing this, retailers can create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to buy during the sale period.
"This is false advertising, but it can be difficult to prove when a product's price is constantly bouncing around."
New Finder research shows 30% of Australians believe Black Friday offers the best deals, compared to 26% who say Boxing Day sales are home to the biggest bargains.
Almost 2 in 5 (37%) Aussies think they get better deals online than they do in-person, while 27% believe they get a better bang for their buck by hitting the shops in-person.
The only generation who disagreed was baby boomers where 29% thought they got a better deal in person compared to just 11% online.
Jager encouraged Australians to use price comparison websites to compare prices across different retailers.
"A good way to check if you're being misled is to look at online reviews to get insights into product quality and retailer reliability.
"While there are rules and regulations in place to stop retailers from using misleading and deceptive practices, it's not technically illegal for businesses to set their own prices – as long as they communicate them clearly and accurately."
Jager urged Aussies to go into the sales season prepared.
"Plan your purchases in advance and set a budget to avoid overspending.
"Some retailers offer price matching, so check their policies and use this to your advantage.
"It's important to familiarise yourself with return policies in case you need to return or exchange items, as more often than not retailers won't allow refunds for sale items," Jager said.
Have you noticed a product go up in price ahead of a sale period?
| Yes, and I didn't buy the product | 41% |
| Yes, but I bought the product anyway | 11% |
| No | 34% |
| I don't know | 14% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,095 respondents, August 2024 |  |
Do you think you get better deals in-person or online during big sales events like Black Friday?
| Online | 37% |
| In-person | 27% |
| I don't know | 36% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,008 respondents, October 2024 | |
Which sale event do you think offers better deals?
| Black Friday | 30% |
| Boxing Day | 26% |
| I don't know | 44% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,008 respondents, October 2024 | |
Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,095 respondents in August 2024, and 1,008 respondents in October 2024.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.