Absa expects that growth of buy now, pay later (BNPL) services will boost Black Friday sales this year for e-commerce merchants.

It said in a statement on Wednesday that last year, e-commerce was not as strong as in prior years.

However, it believes that from the perspective of the retail client, BNPL will remain a popular credit choice for younger and non-credit product customers to support short-term, needs-based credit, both in-store and online.

Absa said the convenience and variety presented by online shopping, and the ability to buy wide-ranging items (including bigger ones) from a single e-commerce outlet, will continue to drive growth.

The average transaction value of in-store purchases has remained stable at around R375 during peak shopping periods over the past two years, while the average transaction value of online purchases has risen sharply.

The bank expects a 10% increase in spending across Absa-issued point-of-sale devices this Black Friday, 28 November, breaching the R4.5-billion mark.

“We anticipate completing 9.75 million transactions for our merchants on Black Friday. Category leaders for growth have been the food and grocery businesses historically, and we anticipate this to be the same for 2025,” said Andrew Wilmot, executive for payments acceptance at Absa Business Banking.

What to expect

The bank said consumers in South Africa can expect:

Moderate discounts in the 5-20% range;
Targeted promotions on specific items or stock, rather than broad-based sales;
Discounts linked to loyalty programmes; and
Online-exclusive offers, which are increasingly preferred over in-store deals.

Read: Black Friday’s radical reinvention in South Africa

It warned shoppers not to fall victim to fraud this Black Friday, saying social engineering is on the rise, with fraudsters or syndicates tricking people into disclosing their personal and confidential information. – © 2025 NewsCenrtral Media

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