The rush of Boxing Day sales will start on Christmas Eve

Monday, 20 December 2021

Some retailers are already gearing up for Boxing Day sales.

Many shoppers’ bank accounts haven’t even had the chance to recover from Black Friday, as Boxing Day sales begin.

The Warehouse, Farmers and Harvey Norman are among a number of retailers who began advertising for one of the biggest sale days of the year two weeks ago, with spaces on their websites dedicated to the sale.

But clothing and homeware store Ezibuy takes the Christmas pudding for being the earliest to offer a Boxing Day deal.

Hamilton's Te Awa mall usually sees more than 40,000 shoppers each Boxing Day. (Video first published December 2019.)

On December 13, it offered a Boxing Day “preview sale”, with 50 to 70 per cent off women’s clothing for just one day.

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azon’s annual Boxing Day sale starts at 2.01am on December 24, and lasts for five days.

“December 13 is early but, over the last few years, we have seen Boxing Day sales creep earlier and earlier,” Retail New Zealand chief executive Greg Harford said.

Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford: “Retailers will be trying to encourage customers to shop, and sales are a way of doing that.”

“This reflects customer demand for good deals, as well as the competitive nature of the market.

“Particularly with current pressures in the market, retailers will be trying to encourage customers to shop, and sales are a way of doing that.”

Last year shoppers spent $62.2 million on Boxing Day sales, according to Worldline data.

But retail spending, excluding food, drink and hospitality, dropped 2.2 per cent compared to the previous year. People spent more than $166m on Christmas Eve.

A PriceSpy survey found the number of people that shopped on Boxing Day last year dropped 6 per cent compared to 2020, and 10 per cent compared to 2019.

But 66 per cent of the 500 survey respondents said they spent $300.01 or more on Boxing Day last year, and the average amount splashed out was $1203.30, up 38 per cent compared to the year prior, when the average was $871.60.

Chris Wilkinson, managing director of First Retail Group, said Boxing Day was typically one of the busiest in the retail calendar as shoppers chased bargains and spent Christmas vouchers.

“In recent years, discounts before Christmas have taken the emphasis off Boxing Day,” he said.

“However that hasn't been as prevalent this year as retailers have been navigating challenges in supply, strong demand and the variability of trading brought about through managing Covid in our communities.”

He was expecting Auckland consumers to spend on feel-good items for themselves and their home environments.

“On the flip side, we may see a little more restraint from some consumers as interest rate rises and continued increases in the cost of living start to weigh on people's minds,” he said.