Aussies to spend more than $3 billion on Boxing Day sales

Despite the cost-of-living crunch, Aussies are still splurging on shopping with a surprising demographic set to spend the most on Boxing Day.

Friends shopping the sales (L-R) Leigh Sutton and Rosalind Graham at Uptown in Brisbane. pic: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

One in three Aussies are expected to hit the Boxing Day sales this year, splashing out $3.4b bagging a bargain.

The Finder survey of 1010 Australians found shoppers were tipped to spend an average of $489 per person during the discount period, with the Queensland average just slightly less at $421 per person.

Gen Y were estimated to lead the charge, forking out $673 each, followed by Gen Z spending $411 each on average; while Gen X ($369 each) and Baby Boomers ($230) would be slightly more cautious with their money.

“Many shoppers will be looking to the sales to snag items they’ve been eyeing or missed during Black Friday,” said Finder expert Chris Jager, with women due to outspend men by $37 each.

But the days of shoppers sleeping out for the Boxing Day sales are over, experts said, with consumers now turning to online to pre-plan their purchases.

Despite more than 80 per cent of customers still buying in store, the need to rush through the doors on December 26 has been replaced by services such as click and collect and online stock finders.

“I think we’ll see a subdued Boxing Day, post-Christmas sales period in Queensland because I think shoppers are more planned in their approach to making purchases,” QUT retail expert Gary Mortimer said.

“You’re putting stuff in your online shopping cart and letting it sit there and then just seeing what the price is on December 25.”

Tahlia Adams, Scarlett Shannon and Kiara Dowch make the most of the Boxing Day sales by shopping up a storm at Cairns Central Shopping Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

Scarlett Shannon and Kiara Dowch shop up a storm at Cairns Central Shopping Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

Australian Retail Association Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown agreed and said Australia had seen the rise of the “connected shopper”, with consumers heavily researching their purchases online before heading in store.

“In this economy, Queenslanders are making a list and then checking it about ten times to make sure they’re getting the price right and knowing exactly where that item might be located to avoid disappointment,” she said, with many turning to click and collect services.

“Online is growing of course, but the highest part of that growth is people spending more time researching the purchase.”

She said that research even spilt over into the in-store experience, with consumers running price comparisons and information checks on their mobile while shopping.

For those desperate to get the best price, Mr Jager said cashback programs, credit card rewards, or coupon codes could also be used to score even bigger deals, especially for big-ticket items.

But warned consumers to beware of return policies and also “fake sales”, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission finding multiple examples of discounts that were either exaggerated or blatantly false during the recent Black Friday sales.

“Don’t settle for the first deal you see,” Mr Jager said. “Compare prices across different retailers to ensure you’re getting the best possible price.”

Mr Mortimer said the state’s major shopping centres would be the hotspot for the Boxing Day sales this year, with the Brisbane CBD having lost its appeal.

“The footage that we used to see 10-15 years ago of people sleeping out the front of Myer and David Jones to get those great deals, we won’t see those crowds in the CBD because we’ve got airconditioned shopping centres with ample carparking,” he said.

“We just don’t have that in the CBD. You’re exposed the elements so if it’s incredibly hot or it’s rainy, people don’t want to go outside and get wet, so they’ll go to airconditioned centres, and you’ve also got the entire experience there with movies, entertainment and a whole range of major retailers and specialty stores.”