South Africans did not treat Black Friday as a spending free-for-all this year. Instead, they shopped with far more discipline, using flexible payment tools to manage cash flow and time purchases more deliberately.
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This is according to payments platform, PayJustNow, which recorded its strongest Black Friday cycle to date. Its data suggests that a structural shift in consumer behaviour has occurred.
Across its platform, overall transaction value grew 80% year-on-year, and transaction volumes rose 60%. Yet average basket size remained relatively stable at R1,629. It is a combination that signals that, while consumers are spending, they are not overextending themselves.
“Black Friday no longer behaves like a single-day spike,” says Mark McChlery, chief data and analytics officer at PayJustNow. “The weekend has become an extended buying cycle, and consumers are using that time to plan, compare, and commit only when the deal justifies the spend.”
A strong Friday, but a stronger total cycle
Although the company reports they had reached 50% of their total Black Friday sales last year by 10am on the morning of Black Friday itself, volumes lifted significantly from midday.
PayJustNow’s data shows a clear concentration of purchases between 13:00 and 14:00, a window during which consumers appeared to wait for greater pricing certainty before more than 11,000 checkouts were processed within the hour.
“The pattern reflects a more cautious, information-driven shopper. People were waiting to see if the discount would remain in place, whether a retailer would match a competitor, or whether a better online deal would surface,” says McChlery.
While Friday was strong, what followed was more telling. Saturday delivered 60% of Friday’s value, Sunday delivered 50%, and Cyber Monday remained busy. PayJustNow expects this increased activity to continue through to 22 December.
Online spending overtakes in-store
For the first time, online transactions on PayJustNow exceeded in-store values, at 56% of total spend. This carries implications for retailers preparing for 2026.
“E-commerce pulled ahead decisively. The trust gap has narrowed, delivery reliability has improved, and online has become a planning environment where consumers browse repeatedly before committing and spend more,” says McChlery.
Almost five million users viewed the PayJustNow app and participating deals on Black Friday alone, with 85,000 clicks recorded, directing shoppers through to retail platforms.
Who shopped and what they bought
Women drove 69% of all transactions. Millennials remained the dominant demographic, with a visible rise in Gen Z participation.
Online marketplaces led overall, supported by strong average order values from “Premier Existence” households or the cohort of consumers categorised as having the highest proportion of disposable income according to Experian’s Financial Affluence Segmentation, whose baskets averaged R2,949.
Home-related spending, such as furniture, appliances, and electronics, grew steadily through November and spiked over the Black Friday weekend. Travel also saw a notable surge, suggesting consumers are spreading high-value commitments across interest-free instalments rather than using revolving credit.
A more intentional Black Friday
“What stands out most is the intentionality. Consumers used BNPL to manage liquidity, not to stretch beyond affordability. The stability in basket sizes, even as transaction volumes surged, is the clearest sign of that,” says McChlery.
He adds that the full picture shows a maturing, digitally confident shopper base. It uses flexible payment tools to control timing, manage risk, and avoid the cost of carrying interest-bearing debt.
