Martin Lewis has found the cheapest time to buy Christmas gifts - but you'll need to act fast to make savings this year

Black Friday gets a bad reputation, as many of us treat the US sales event that has taken off in the UK with suspicion, still assuming that we'll snap up better deals in the more traditional pre-Christmas or Boxing Day sales. However, according to Martin Lewis, if you're not doing your Christmas shopping now you could be missing out on big savings.

Speaking on the Martin Lewis Money Show Christmas special on ITV, the Money Saving Expert revealed that his team had found that Black Friday deals are the best if your shopping for gifts. He explained: 'We've actually just done a study of 50 item of was it cheaper to buy on Black Friday or in the pre Christmas sales that come later?

'70% of items were cheaper on Black Friday and 12% were cheaper on the pre-Christmas sales and the other 18% were equal. So if you're going to be buying before Christmas at this time of year, Black Friday is the time that you want to be buying.'

On his website he expanded further on the study saying: 'If the item you've been planning to buy has a decent discount on Black Friday, and you need it by Christmas, the chances are you should buy it – waiting to see if it gets cheaper in the pre-Christmas sales will more often than not be fruitless.'

What to buy as gifts in the Black Friday sales

The study found items like the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer, which is one of the best air fryers was cheapest on Black Friday, as were the Dyson V8 vacuum cleaner, apple air pods and Amazon echo dots.

Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer AF300UK: was £229 now £159 at Ninja UK

In our Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer review we revealed that this is the air fryer we judge all other air fryers against as it really is that good. So if you're looking to upgrade or gift one to someone act now.

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Our Certified Experts at Ideal Home have also spotted this pattern and do most of their Christmas gift shopping (and their own big investments) in the Black Friday sales.

'I’ve sourced the best Black Friday deals for our readers for the past four years, and I can testify to the fact it’s the one time of year that even those retailers that don’t usually discount tend to offer price reductions. One of the best deals I’ve seen this year is on the Hygge Days Luxury Faux Fur Warming Throw, which is reduced by £45 at Lakeland,' says Amy Lockwood, Ideal Home's Sleep Editor.

'It’s the best heated blanket I’ve tested and I’ve been using it every night on my own sofa since the temperatures dropped. It’s super soft and super toasty and looks just as good even when it isn’t plugged in. I think it makes a brilliant Christmas gift.'

StaySnug Bubble Faux Fur Heated Throw: was £120 now £75 at Lakeland

This heated blanket has 10 heat settings, 10 time settings and an auto shut off. All in a luxurious faux fur blanket.

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Molly Cleary, Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliance Editor agrees that this Black Friday is going to be a great time to pick up some deals.

'I've worked as a deal hunter over Black Friday for the last four years, which means I've got a good impression of which products get the best discount applied. Back when air fryers were big in 2022, it was rare to see a really good air fryer deal (as it was more about finding one in stock!), but now they've been around for a while, I find better deals than ever. Finding a good sized air fryer on sale for under £100 on Black Friday is now pretty easy.'

Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO 6.2L: was £130 now £89 at Argos

This is one of Ninja's smallest air fryers. It has a single drawer and compact footprint, but still has an impressive 6.2 L cooking capacity.

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She points out that it's still tricky to find strong deals at any time of year on the best bean-to-cup coffee machines. 'They tend to be higher ticket items which means that finding a huge discount is very rare. So if you do spot your dream coffee machine on sale at Sage or Smeg I'd recommend jumping at it. Pod coffee machines, however are less advanced in their technology, so they can usually be found for a steal price at this time of year.'

However, Molly has another trick up her sleeve to buying an affordable Christmas gift for a cooking fan in the Black Friday sales - appliance add ons. 'I'd buy appliance add-ons as a gift in the Black Friday sales this year. Anyone who already owns a KitchenAid will love receiving one of the brand's accessories to turn a mixer into an ice-cream maker or pasta maker, while a coffee machine owner will be grateful for a knock box or a snazzy new milk frothing jug.'

Black Friday officially kicks off on the 29th December this year, but we've already seen many brands drop deals early including Ninja, Argos and Amazon. So this year don't leave your Christmas shopping until the last minute, act now.