The biggest shopping day of the year in the UK! How to do KOL marketing on Boxing Day 2023

Every year, from December 23 to 25, there is a strong Christmas peak trend for three consecutive days around the world. In Commonwealth countries, December 26, the shopping peak, is called Boxing Day, with even greater traffic. So how can overseas brands take advantage of this important node? This article will give you some suggestions, you can take a look if you need it.

In last week’s article, we introduced that there is a strong Christmas peak trend for three consecutive days around December 23rd to 25th every year. In Commonwealth countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, the shopping peak on December 26th is called Boxing Day, and the traffic peak even exceeds Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday.

In this article, Inpander will explain in detail the cultural background of Boxing Day and how overseas brands can use this important node to achieve a surge in sales!

1. What exactly is Boxing Day?

1. Cultural background of Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a national holiday celebrated on December 26 (the day after Christmas) in Commonwealth countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, and New Zealand.

There are many versions of its specific origin, but one of the more recognized theories is that after the Christmas party on December 25th every year, the British noble lords would give some useful items, such as clothes, grains and utensils, to the servants who served them. The servants' families would receive a large box full of items after Christmas. Because of this box, people called this day Boxing Day.

Over time, the festival has evolved into an important shopping day.

Note: In parts of Europe, including Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Norway and Ireland, this day is known as St. Stephen's Day, which is considered the day after Christmas.

2. Boxing Day customs

(1) Buy, buy, buy

On this day, merchants in most Commonwealth countries usually hold large-scale promotions and discounts. Shopping malls and streets are crowded with people rushing to buy and snap up traditional Boxing Day promotions of electrical appliances, furniture and clothing, etc., enjoying the fun of low prices.

Note: Traditionally, Boxing Day sales start on the morning of December 26th, but for retailers, most well-known retailers launch their Boxing Day sales online on Christmas Eve and continue into January.

(2) Reunion and Receiving Gifts

In addition to discovering discounted products, Boxing Day also provides an opportunity to share time with family and friends. Friends and family will spend this day together to taste the leftover Christmas food, get missed gifts, visit attractions, etc.

Some people also participate in charity fundraisers, donating items or money to those in need.

(3) Sports events

From Boxing Day on December 26 to January 3 of the following year, each Premier League team will play three games, and the Premier League will enter the "Christmas Express" mode, which is basically the intensity of three games a week.

The first Christmas game in the English League can be traced back to 1889, when the two sides were the defending champions of the league, Preston and Aston Villa. Since then, watching a football match on Christmas Day has become a sacred holiday tradition for the British.

2. Boxing Day Marketing Insights

1. Is Boxing Day a good day for marketing?

Boxing Day sales are the best day after Christmas to buy products that can be used next year or are currently popular or in season. With the right marketing strategy, overseas brands can achieve a significant increase in sales during Boxing Day.

2. Which brands are suitable for Boxing Day marketing?

The product categories with the most shopping on Boxing Day are clothing, electronics, beauty and makeup products, homewares and furniture. If you specialize in any of these businesses, then you can seize this day.

(1) Costume Jewelry

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, and many people will wear their best clothes and some jewelry on this day to show their importance of the holiday.

(2) Home

Taking Australia as an example, the daily search volume of home products on Boxing Day was even 26% higher than the peak of Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday.

(3) Electronic products

When giving gifts to young relatives and friends, in addition to cash, electronic products will be the first choice of the elders.

(4) Travel

Christmas is always a good time to travel, and popular search terms are mainly concentrated on Beaches; islands, Winter travel destinations and Vacation packages.

(5) Beauty, Personal Care and Health

As the New Year is approaching, many consumers may also turn their interest to "New Year Resolutions". They will post on social media to make plans for the new year's health, body care, beauty learning, etc., so health and self-care products or services will be very popular.

3. Boxing Day Marketing Strategy

1. Take advantage of social media

During the Christmas period, people frequently use social media platforms, so using social media for Boxing Day marketing activities is a very effective way.

Specifically, the veteran social media applications YouTube and Facebook occupy the top two positions in the UK's popularity rankings, but judging from the number of social media application downloads in the UK Google Paly store in September 2022, TikTok can be said to be far ahead. This shows that the UK is in a period of strong impact from social media culture. Both mainstream and emerging social media have a certain number of users, but the number of new users in the later period will tilt towards more trendy emerging social media platforms.

2. Overseas KOL/KOC marketing helps you to increase sales

Overseas brands can also increase brand awareness and optimize search results by cooperating with KOLs or KOCs who are related to or interested in their products.

On the one hand, brands use the credibility of influencers to increase brand awareness and establish a distinctive product image;

On the other hand, the influence of local Internet celebrities naturally extends the brand's marketing effect.

3. Marketing Creativity

Boxing Day is less about traditional gifts and decorations and more about individuals treating themselves and getting presents they may have missed out on. Therefore, the marketing approach to Boxing Day should be slightly different to that of Christmas.

(1) Discover discounted products

On Boxing Day, consumers will be looking for post-Christmas deals, brands can invite bloggers to share relevant discount information to increase your sales!

(2) Shopping for yourself

In addition to gift giving, brands can encourage shoppers to focus more on themselves during this holiday season, such as rewarding themselves for gifts they didn’t receive and spending the Christmas money or gift cards they received.

With its Boxing Day sale, cosmetics brand Make Up Academy (@MUAcosmetics) asked followers what purchase they would reward themselves with.

(3) Leverage Black Friday/Christmas traffic

As a continuation of your Black Friday/Christmas marketing campaign, consider cross-selling related items through product bundles or gift sets.

For example, Black Friday shoppers are likely to be buying gifts, while Boxing Day shoppers will be looking for gift replacements or accessories, such as batteries or chargers. This is a great opportunity to showcase any such accessories that your brand sells.

(4) Encourage UGC creation

A great way to do this is to run a photo sharing competition. This involves inviting customers to share photos of their gift recipients wearing and using your product. You can offer a Boxing Day discount to those who share their photos.

You can encourage buyers to share photos of the products they purchased.

(5) Infuse the event with the “soul” of Boxing Day

Using simple emoticons can also increase the festive atmosphere of advertising content to a certain extent. Christmas trees, gift boxes, footballs, etc. can all be used and they can be reasonably distributed in social media marketing content.

In addition, as one of the important festivals in the Commonwealth countries, Boxing Day has established a strong emotional connection in society, so we must show respect. All marketing information should be checked by multiple local reviewers to ensure that it will not cause misunderstanding or damage the brand image.

Author: Inpander

WeChat public account: "Inpander Overseas (ID: gh_eeba4131474f)"