UK shoppers are expected to spend £3.6bn during the Boxing Day sales this year, according to the latest Barclays Consumer Spend report, despite a fall in the number of people planning to take part.
Barclays said the average Boxing Day shopper plans to spend £253, up from £236 in 2024. However, only 26% of consumers expect to shop on Boxing Day, down from 28% last year, reflecting ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
The total spend forecast is lower than previous years, compared with £4.6bn in 2024 and £4.7bn in 2023.
Around seven in 10 consumers said rising costs would affect their spending decisions, up from 47% a year earlier.
Across the wider festive sales period, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the January sales, 44% of consumers said they plan to shop.
Among this group, the January sales were the most popular, cited by 89%.
In-store shopping remains a key part of the sales period. Nearly half of those planning to shop on Boxing Day said they intend to visit physical stores, citing the ability to see products in person, human interaction and the experience of shopping as reasons for doing so.
Across the full festive period, 97% of sales shoppers said they expect to shop in-store at least once.
Online shopping remains the preferred option for 40% of sales shoppers, with the use of artificial intelligence and other digital tools becoming more widespread.
More than a third said they use AI or smart tools to research products, compare prices or identify deals, rising to more than half among those aged 18 to 34.
Additionally, clothing, footwear and accessories were the most popular categories, selected by 37% of shoppers, followed by food and drink, beauty products and homeware. However, 25% said they plan to buy only essential items during the sales.
Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Shoppers have demonstrated just how cost-conscious they are throughout 2025, and we expect that we’ll see this play out during the Boxing Day sales, particularly with AI empowering consumers to shop smarter and seek out the best deals. Despite this, many still enjoy the social and sensory experience of visiting stores. Those that do hit the high street might benefit both from bigger budgets, perhaps having held out for the sales, and potentially less competition, from fewer sales shoppers.
“Boxing Day is still a pivotal moment for retailers, fuelled by Christmas nostalgia, but it has evolved to reflect modern consumer demands. This year, we’re likely to see a balanced blend of online convenience, experiential retail and increasingly mindful purchasing.”