It's now the biggest sales event of the year, but nearly 40 per cent of Australian small businesses won't participate in Black Friday.

More than half of small businesses believe Black Friday, a sales event originating in the United States, is now bigger and more important than Boxing Day, but there has been a massive drop in participation in the event this year, according to a survey by Xero.

The number of small businesses participating in Black Friday this year has dropped by 22 per cent - to just 39 per cent - with many believing they are not in the financial position to offer the massive sales seen by larger retailers and businesses.

While many businesses want to use Black Friday's increasing popularity to draw in new customers, the decision between the risk and reward of such

See Full Page