Australians are expected to spend more during this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales despite ongoing economic pressure, new research has found.

Shoppers are forecast to spend an average $346 during the sales period at the end of November, up from $324 last year, according to Shopify’s 2026 Holiday Retail Report.

That represents a 6.8 per cent increase in planned spending, while global planned spending is forecast to fall by 3.1 per cent.

The increase comes despite 54 per cent of Australians saying economic conditions have negatively affected their holiday shopping plans.

Australians also appear to be taking a more considered approach to their spending, with 85 per cent saying they would rather wait to buy the right product than settle for the easiest available option.

AI is expected to play an increasingly significant role during the sales period, with 62 per cent of Australians planning to use it for at least one holiday shopping task, such as finding deals or discovering products.

However, shoppers remain cautious about handing control of purchases entirely to AI.

While 41 per cent said they would be comfortable allowing AI to build their shopping cart, only 29 per cent said they would trust it to make a purchase on their behalf.

Younger Australians are leading the shift, with 70 per cent of those aged 25 to 34 using AI at least occasionally when shopping, compared with 45 per cent of shoppers overall.

The research also found Australians are increasingly looking beyond major brands, with 54 per cent saying they are choosing independent or niche brands more often than last year.

Retailers are responding by investing in AI-generated content, virtual assistants and technology designed to make products easier for AI tools to discover and recommend.

Shopify ANZ head of enterprise James Johnson said shoppers were researching more before making purchases.

“Australians are still willing to spend this holiday season, but they’re putting more work into deciding what’s worth their money,” he said.

“They’re researching, weighing up more options and increasingly using AI to help them find products that fit what they’re looking for.”