Broadband News

Boxing Day 2011 is UK’s biggest online shopping day ever

Thursday 29 December, 2011

By Duncan Heaney

Millions rush to the online sales on Boxing Day

Christmas Day is all about celebration and tradition, not least of which is the sharing of gifts. Boxing Day, on the other hand, appears to be a time to go online to buy yourself the stuff you really wanted to get the day before.

According to research firm Experian Hitwise, Boxing Day was the busiest day of online shopping in UK internet history. On 26 December, online retail websites received a staggering 96 million visitors - almost 20% more than the same day last year.

James Murray, an analyst for Experian Hitwise, chalked the big numbers up to the fact that Boxing Day fell on a Monday this year. This theory is backed up by the company’s research, which indicates that Mondays are normally the busiest online shopping days anyway.

In addition, Murray noticed that people were moving from shopping for electrical goods to fashion. For these items, high street brands like Tesco, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer received twice as many clicks as internet-only retailers. It’s possible people were looking to see what bargains they could get in the post-Christmas sales, or looking to spend vouchers they got for Christmas.

The most popular site on Boxing Day across all categories, however, was online auction service eBay. Presumably people were racing to sell their unwanted gifts, or pick up other people’s Christmas tat.

This year more than ever before, the UK has embraced shopping on the internet. Royal Mail found that 65% of UK adults intended to do their Christmas shopping online, and the start of the run-up to Christmas season saw online shoppers spend at a rate of £17.7million an hour.

In short, it’s been a great Christmas for online retailers. And as we hurtle ever closer towards 2012, it’ll be interesting to see how they do in the New Year.

Image courtesy of Annie Mole