With the year’s busiest shopping season in full swing, one day stands out for its immense untapped potential: Boxing Day. While Black Friday dominates the US retail landscape as the ultimate shopping holiday, Boxing Day occurs the day after Christmas, on December 26th, and has long been a major shopping day in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
According to the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), shoppers were set to splurge $23.9 billion during 2023 Boxing Day sales, and UK shoppers were expected to spend around £3.68 billion – highlighting Boxing Day’s importance for retailers.
The Big Picture:
With the right marketing strategies, this post-Christmas shopping event could benefit retailers much like Black Friday in both revenue and significance. Discover how retailers can boost Boxing Day sales with the right tools and strategies.
Stay in touch
Be the first to know all about the latest Marketing tips & tricks, Industry special insights and more
7 Strategies to Maximize Boxing Day Sales
Here’s how retailers can maximize Boxing Day sales:
#1 – Learn from Black Friday’s Playbook
Black Friday has achieved its iconic status by offering significant discounts, creating a sense of urgency, and leveraging extensive marketing campaigns focusing on the fear of missing out (FOMO).
In fact,retailers using Optimove achieved 300%+ growth on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, offering a proven playbook for Boxing Day success.
Boxing Day enjoys a natural advantage in timing – it falls one day after Christmas when customers are ready to spend holiday cash and gift cards. It’s also the time when people return and exchange unwanted gifts.
To make Boxing Day equally impactful:
Make it Special: Promote Boxing Day with exclusive sales. Offer “doorbuster” deals or online-only flash sales to build excitement.
Incentivize Post-Holiday Shopping: Highlight deals on items customers often seek after Christmas, such as fitness equipment, home organization products, and seasonal clearance items.
#2 – Make It a Digital Powerhouse
Black Friday’s transformation into a digital shopping event has helped it sustain relevance in an increasingly e-commerce-driven world – where shopping online is becoming the primary method for customers to access deals, driven by convenience and speed.
Boxing Day needs to embrace the same strategy:
Optimize Online Experiences: Ensure websites are prepared for high traffic and provide a seamless mobile experience, as many shoppers will browse and purchase via their smartphones.
Offer Click-and-Collect: With many people off work on Boxing Day, the convenience of ordering online and picking up in-store can drive foot traffic to physical locations.
Leverage Social Media: Use Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to showcase deals in real-time, engage customers with polls and contests, and offer exclusive promo codes to online followers.
Consumers approach Boxing Day with a unique mindset: they’re no longer shopping for others but for themselves. Many use gift cards, holiday codes, or money received as gifts to indulge in products they didn’t receive during the holiday season.
Retailers can capitalize on this shift by:
Curating “Self-Gifting” Campaigns: Highlight deals on luxury or high-demand items like electronics, fashion, and beauty products. Remind customers that New Year’s is just around the corner – whether they need a sparkly new party dress or a pampering skincare set to start the year, a targeted marketing email can hit the mark.
Offering Clearance Opportunities: Promote end-of-season sales on holiday merchandise, such as decor, apparel, and party supplies, to attract bargain seekers while clearing inventory.
#4 – Introduce Gamification and Rewards
Boxing Day sales can stand out by incorporating gamification elements and personalized rewards to create a unique shopping experience that keeps customers engaged and excited.
To gamify Boxing Day campaigns, try implementing:
Exclusive Member Discounts: Offer early access or discounts for loyalty program members to encourage sign-ups and build trust.
Interactive Shopping: To engage shoppers, create online spin-the-wheel games or treasure hunts with prizes like discounts or free shipping.
Repeat Purchase Rewards: Offer additional discounts or bonuses to customers who shop during Black Friday or the holiday season, incentivizing them to return on Boxing Day.
#5 – Expand Boxing Day Beyond Its Borders
While Boxing Day is well-known in Commonwealth countries, its potential as a global shopping day remains untapped.
Retailers can extend Boxing Day campaigns to international markets through:
Localized Deals: Create country-specific promotions that resonate with local consumers, such as those that align with cultural holidays or seasonal needs.
Cross-Border Shipping: Offer international shipping discounts and prominently feature Boxing Day deals for overseas shoppers.
Align with Travel Trends: With many people traveling during the holidays, consider promotions for tourists or campaigns targeting major travel hubs like airports, train stations, and resorts.
#6 – Embrace Sustainability
With growing consumer awareness about sustainability, Boxing Day can differentiate itself by promoting eco-friendly practices.
Retailers can accentuate Boxing Day sales by:
Highlighting Green Products: Feature deals on sustainable, reusable, or eco-conscious items to appeal to environmentally conscious shoppers.
Encouraging Recycling and Donations: Partner with charities for buy-back or recycling programs where customers can trade in old items for discounts on new purchases.
eBook: 9 Creative Email Tactics
Download this eBook to find new ways to “wow” customers and cut through the clutter with engaging, relevant emails.
Retailers who want to succeed on Boxing Day should use data-driven insights to create highly personalized campaigns. By analyzing customer behavior from Black Friday and holiday shopping, brands can better understand what motivates customers and what products resonate most with them.
A few strategies to consider in creating more targeted and engaging experiences:
Segmentation: Target high-value customers with exclusive offers or VIP access to Boxing Day sales.
Dynamic Personalization: Use AI to send tailored email campaigns and push notifications featuring products relevant to each customer’s browsing history, product preference, and purchases.
Real-Time Adjustments: Monitor sales performance throughout Boxing Day and tweak campaigns to amplify success.
In Summary
With its ideal timing, Boxing Day has the potential to rival Black Friday as a key retail event. For customers, it’s a chance to snag incredible deals after the holiday rush, and by leveraging the right mix of digital strategies, personalized marketing, and engaging shopping experiences – it’s a golden opportunity for retailers to end the year with a knockout performance. Happy Boxing Day!
Rony Vexelman is Optimove’s VP of Marketing. Rony leads Optimove’s marketing strategy across regions and industries. Previously, Rony was Optimove's Director of Product Marketing leading product releases, customer marketing efforts and analyst relations. Rony holds a BA in Business Administration and Sociology from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
