Boxing Day spend set to top £472m

Online shoppers in the UK are expected to spend a record £472.5m on Boxing Day with visits to retail sites soaring by 31% compared to 2011 – to 126 million – as Brits rush to snap up sales bargains.
Insights taken from the combined datasets of Experian Hitwise and the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index show UK consumers will spend 375 million hours shopping online in December 2012, up 9% year on year.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are also predicted to be big online spending days, with old family favourites Top of the Pops and the Two Ronnies being replaced by a spot of e-tail therapy. Consumers expected to spend £225m and £307m respectively on these days.
The leap year will also have a significant impact on Christmas Eve – a day that is usually one of the worst performing for online retail. As Christmas Eve is a working day, Experian and IMRG predict this will be a popular day for Click & Collect as shoppers pick up their last minute gifts.
Searches for Click and Collect have already increased by 40% in December 2012 compared to 2011.
Experian Marketing Services digital insight manager James Murray said: “Boxing Day will be the peak of online shopping in the UK, so marketers need to make sure their campaigns are in place to maximise traffic: it’s not too late to promote special offers through email and social media.
Understanding what people are interested in, the best channels to engage customers through and when to reach them will be crucial to success this season.”
IMRG managing director Andrew McClelland commented: “The post-Christmas sales period actually starts on Christmas Eve online and, judging by these forecasts, it certainly finds a willing audience. Accessing retailer websites through always-on devices such as smartphones and tablets provides consumers with an easy way to check about returning a gift, or download digital content directly onto that device. Indeed, retailers have been telling us that tablet devices are among the biggest sellers this year. As consumers encounter a range of discounts and offers already available in the sales on these sites, it is not surprising that consumers will spend over £300 million even on Christmas Day itself this year; online, the Christmas shopping never really stops.”