Boxing Day fights to claim title of Australia’s premier sales event with shoppers set to fork out $1.6b

The Boxing Day sales are fighting back to claim the title of Australia’s premier discounting event, with budget-conscious shoppers tipped to drop about $1.6 billion in one day. That figure is 4.3 per cent higher compared with last year, according to the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan, and comes as some experts claim Boxing Day has been overtaken by Black Friday to become the biggest sales event of the year. ARA chief executive Chris Rodwell said the forecast continued to deliver powerful end-of-year sales momentum for retailers, which have grappled with years of dampened consumer spending as households grapple with high inflation and interest rates. “Australians continue to turn out in large numbers for the Boxing Day shopping experience, drawn by the connection to trusted brands, fresh stock movement and strong seasonal value,” he said. “We expect value-driven behaviour to remain a feature of consumer spending into 2026, with households continuing to prioritise competitive prices and strong promotional activity.” The ARA is tipping household goods, apparel and department stores to outperform on Boxing Day. Spending in household goods is forecast to hit $476 million (up 4.4 per cent), $216m in clothing, footwear and accessories (up 1.9 per cent) and $123m in department stores (up 5.1 per cent). Other retailing — which includes specialty, variety and smaller-format stores — is also set for strong growth, rising 6.3 per cent to $221m, while hospitality spend is forecast to increase 6.8 per cent to $141m. Between December 25 and December 31, spending is forecast to reach $3.83b, up 4.4 per cent on last year. The ARA said Boxing Day sales were expected to account for the lion’s share of the total, supported by strong demand for value, post-Christmas discounts and the redemption of gift cards. Across the country, NSW is tipped to splurge the most in the week post-Christmas, at nearly $1.2b, followed by Victoria ($953m) and Queensland ($842m). West Australians will spend $448m. Fresh from recording its best-ever Black Friday sales period, Myer executive chair Olivia Wirth recently told The West Christmas trade and Boxing Day were just as important for the department store chain. “It’s really a peak trade period and that goes everything from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, it obviously includes the very busy period in the lead-up to Christmas and then the Boxing Day and stocktake sales off the back,” she said. “Black Friday is becoming a very important sales period for us but equally, Christmas and Boxing Day will also be similarly important as well.” Separate data from comparison site Finder revealed Australians were preparing to splurge more than $3b as the Boxing Day bargains beckon. The average shopper is set to spend spend about $440 each over the sales period, according to Finder. CommBank iQ data revealed Australians spent nearly $24b over the two weeks around the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.