If you feel like you’re drowning in Black Friday offers, you’re not dreaming – Australia’s retail sector has amped up discounts this year like never before and shoppers are expected to splash out $6.2 billion on bargains over the next four days.

With the easing of pandemic-induced global supply chain hurdles this year, retailers have been able to bring in stock more easily and offer better discounts across a broader range of products than in the past two COVID years.

“Shipping and component issues have eased, and we are in a much stronger position,” said the general manager of electronics retailer Bing Lee, Peter Harris.

Unlike last year, where electronics suppliers offered deals across a narrower range of stock, he said brands had more freedom to increase the breadth of offers this year.

“Everyone is playing as hard as ever and suppliers have come to the party,” Harris said.

E-commerce platforms said while securing enough stock had still been a headache, the memory of the past few years’ challenges led brands to start planning sales campaigns early.

“While supply chain challenges are still being experienced by some Australian businesses, with Black Friday becoming such a big retail moment and Christmas around the corner, many have planned ahead and increased inventory to cater to high consumer demand,” eBay Australia’s Sophie Onikul said.

This month, the ASX-listed coffee machine giant Breville told investors it had been able to weather the storm of global instability and lockdowns in China to ensure it had enough inventory to service all its markets over the next few months. JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman are also optimistic about momentum in the lead-up to Christmas.

Chadstone centre manager Daniel Boyle is preparing to welcome 100,000 customers to the shopping centre in Melbourne’s south-east on Friday and agrees that wider economic factors are helping retailers broaden their deals this year.