A retail group says that the benefits of Black Friday are being 'openly questioned' by retailers.

Black Friday originated in the US as a major post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas shopping day, but has spread to Ireland in recent years.

Many businesses around the country will be discounting products today in what has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year both for traditional stores and online retailers.

Three quarters of Irish adults are planning to shop in the annual sale, with a third expecting to grab half-price bargains.

A survey by AddressPal.ie found that 37% of shoppers will be going online, with 17% heading for the shops.

Retail Ireland, the Ibec group which represents retailers, says Black Friday is "good news" for Irish consumers, but presents a challenge for many businesses.

Retail Ireland Director Thomas Burke explained: “Consumers are now expecting deep discounts of as much as 50% on a wide range of products.

"But retailers are increasingly reluctant to engage in such deep discounting for fear that they are merely displaying sales that would otherwise happen later in the Christmas shopping period at more normal price levels.“

He said that 2017 saw retail sales fall by 2.6% in December when compared to the previous month - suggesting much of the purchasing is now done in November.

He added: "In the current environment with the economy expected to grow by up to 9% this year and consumer disposable income growing by 4.4%, retailers are increasingly reluctant to give away margin.”

Meanwhile, consumers are being reminded that buying discounted products does not impact their consumer rights.

Gardaí are advising people to take the necessary precautions when shopping online by buying from trusted sources and secure website.