47% of families are ready to take advantage of Black Friday, spending an average of €145. In Rimini too, the season of major commercial promotions is approaching — no longer confined to a single day but now stretching across several weeks. According to estimates from the Federconsumatori Observatory, the share of families interested in the discounts has grown by 2.8% compared to 2025, while average spending is up 1.7%.
For more than 74% of consumers, Black Friday is also an opportunity to get a head start on Christmas gifts or buy items that have long been on their wish lists. This mainly involves smartphones, tablets, televisions and household appliances, though the trend is increasingly spreading to services and everyday expenses.
The most striking figure, however, concerns deferred payments: 44% of those shopping during the promotions will rely on instalments. These are Buy Now Pay Later schemes, which allow consumers to take a product home immediately and pay for it later in multiple instalments. This method is being used increasingly even for small amounts, and Federconsumatori is drawing attention to the risk of accumulating excessive debt.
Electronics and household appliances remain at the top of the shopping list, with particularly high demand for smartphones, smartwatches, smart TVs, air fryers and robot vacuum cleaners. Clothing and footwear follow, while interest is also growing in flight and train tickets, short trips and leisure activities. Other sectors involved include cosmetics, skincare products, gyms, fitness centres and digital subscriptions.
But Black Friday is no longer just a rush for tech purchases. More and more families are waiting for the discounts to cover necessary expenses, such as eyeglasses, specialist visits, medical tests and dental care. Promotions are also appearing in supermarkets, restaurants and maintenance services, including tyre changes and boiler repairs.
Energy suppliers, too, have started offering Black Friday deals, with promotional rates for electricity and gas. Federconsumatori Rimini, however, urges consumers not to stop at the advertised discount but to check all contract terms carefully, in order to avoid signing up for supply deals that may turn out to be less advantageous than expected over time.
Most purchases will continue to be made online, although traditional shops are gaining ground thanks to increasingly long promotional campaigns, in some cases spanning the entire month of November.
Finally, there remains the problem of fake discounts. Federconsumatori warns of the risk that some retailers raise prices before the promotional period, only to apply discounts that are merely apparent — a practice banned by law, which the association encourages consumers to report.
Consumers are therefore advised to compare prices before buying, verify the real value of offers, and pay close attention to payment terms. Federconsumatori has also prepared a guide with practical tips to help avoid scams and poor-value purchases during the discount season.
