Boxing Day Bargain Boost Drives Online Sales Up 26%

(CTN News) – Boxing Day boosts helped retailers defy cost-of-living warnings and close out Peak Trading 2022 strongly.

During the last week of December, digital revenues rose 26% year-on-year, according to Wunderkind’s Marketing Pulse Index, which analyzed more than 84,200 digital shopper journeys.

Both traffic and online sales rose as price-sensitive shoppers sought out bargains and discounts on Boxing Day compared with 2021.

Defying fears that the cost-of-living crisis might take the shine off festive performance, the Boxing Day boost prompted a strong last week in December (26 December – 01 January) trading, with UK retailers experiencing significant upticks on 2021, with web traffic up 44.4 percent and online sales up 26 percent.

 After a steady run-up to Christmas Day, web traffic patterns mirrored those of 2021 before a significant increase on Boxing Day.

As compared to December 2021, online shoppers browsed significantly more in 2022.

During the week preceding Christmas (19 – 25 Dec inclusive), digital window shopping increased by +32.9% year-on-year, while web traffic increased by +44.4% in the week after Christmas (26 Dec – 01 Jan inclusive).

On Boxing Day itself (26 December 2022), online shoppers visited UK retailers’ websites 42 percent more than they did in 2021, representing a 54.7% increase week-over-week.

According to Barclaycard’s data, the average UK shopper will spend £229 during the post-Christmas sales, with laptops and gadgets being the most sought-after goods, with 42% of UK consumers seeking a deal on their technology, up from 18% three years ago.

Wunderkind International’s General Manager, Wulfric Light-Wilkinson, explains:

“After some gloomy pre-Christmas forecasts and numerous warnings that the cost-of-living crisis would negatively impact the crucial Christmas trading period, digital retailers have reason to be cautiously optimistic after seeing the Boxing Day boost.”

As a result, retailers’ performance at the end of Peak Trading 2022 exceeded expectations. Retailers, however, will not rest on their laurels.”

“With reduced consumer spending power, brands are aware that every conversion becomes more challenging.

Retailers will need to consider how they capture new shopper data to enable longer term, more personal engagement with their customers as buying journeys extend amid increased spending caution.

As a result of leveraging first-party data, businesses can deliver rich, relevant and bespoke interactions that drive repeat business and increase loyalty.

With +19.2% more online revenue generated on 26 December than on Super Saturday this year, Boxing Day sales surpassed Super Saturday sales this year.

 In comparison to Black Friday, UK online retailers took +143.6% more digital sales on Black Friday than on Boxing Day this year, according to Wunderkind.

What is the significance of Boxing day?

The name comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants – a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families.

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