Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, is only a few weeks away - so you might want to keep track of the date if you're saving for something big.This year, it falls on November 24 2017 - it's always the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. However as the day has grown in prominence and online shopping has made searching for a bargain easier, many shops launch deals well ahead of the big day.Some have already announced that they will start releasing offers in advance - for instance, Amazon are making some of their Black Friday deals available from November 17 - a whole 10 days before the official shopping event.Cyber Monday (November 27) always follows swiftly of the heels of Black Friday - it used to be a separate event in it's own right until last year when it merely became an extension to the Black Friday weekend.

Where did Black Friday come from?

Used to describe a pre-Christmas day of commercial carnage, the term “Black Friday” originates from Philadelphia, USA, in the early 1950s. In 2010, the online retail giant Amazon introduced the concept to the UK. Asda, owned by America’s biggest retailer Walmart, followed suit in 2013.

What to expect from Black Friday in 2017

While we can't know for sure what to expect this year as retailers tend to keep their cards close to their chest before the big day, we have do have some tips. Amazon will begin releasing Black Friday deals on 17 November, and we expect other retailers to follow suit and begin their deals before the 24 November as well - so keep your eyes peeled from now on.It makes sense to go for deals on big-ticket items like phones, laptops, TVs, fridges and washing machines as the discounts will be sure to make a sizable dent in the price you pay.Black Friday is also the ideal time to bag a bargain Christmas gift, so search for discounted toys, gaming consoles and gadgets when you're scanning the deals on offer.This year, look out for deals on the new Xbox One X and the Nintendo Switch, as well as Fingerlings, Lol Dolls and Hatchimals for the little ones. While it's unlikely we'll see discounts on the latest Apple and Samsung products, expect deals on their 2016 products - that means the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.Techies should also look out for the Microsoft Surface Pro, the Macbook Pro and the Google Pixel.

How big was last year's Black Friday?

Britons spent a record £5.8 billion over the four days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 - an increase of 15 per cent on last year, according to VoucherCodes.co.uk and the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). Online retailers took approximately £2.8 billion of this - up 20 per cent from £2.3 billion in 2015, according to the data.

On Black Friday itself, experts estimate that £1.27 billion was spent in the 24 hour period - up 16 per cent on last year.However, did you know that Black Friday is still completely trumped by China's Singles Day, the world's biggest online shopping day of the year? That finished on November 11 2016 with Chinese shoppers spending $17.8bn (£14.2bn) in 24 hours. It seems UK shoppers still have a way to go to beat that record.