UK shoppers expected to spend £3.7bn on Boxing Day
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High streets predicted to be less busy as people buy beauty and technology deals online. Shoppers are expected to spend £3.7bn, this Boxing Day, up only 1.3% on 2023, with high streets less busy as shoppers snap up beauty and technology bargains online.
The ability to click for bargains from the sofa means post-Christmas discounts actually begin before most families have touched a sprout or a slice of turkey as it is now possible to begin spending in the sales from midnight on Christmas Eve. More than 11 million people were expected to buy online on Christmas Day, up 3.6% year on year, according to research by analysts at GlobalData for Vouchercodes. The number of shoppers on Boxing Day is expected to be similar to a rather flat 2023 as a rise in online shoppers is expected to be offset by a fall in those visiting physical stores.
There has been a gradual decline in spending on high streets on 26 December over recent years, according to Diane Wehrle at Rendle Intelligence and Insights, partly because some big retailers – including most John Lewis outlets and Marks & Spencer – choose to give their staff a break and remain closed.
More complex families, which may involve several celebratory meals in different locations, and difficulties with transport all hold up trade on the traditional start to the January sales. However, last year Boxing Day sales were 7.5% higher than in 2022, led by a 9% rise online, while in-store sales rose by just under 2%, driven largely by inflation.
