The best Boxing Day promotion ideas give people a reason to choose your sale among hundreds: open an early-access list before Christmas, launch online on Christmas evening or the morning of the 26th, use a game to hand out the deals, and keep the new buyers for January with a clear email sign-up. In 2026, Boxing Day falls on Saturday 26 December, with a substitute public holiday on Monday 28 December in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Boxing Day is the start of the biggest sales week after Christmas in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Shoppers have gift cards to spend, time off work and a list of things they did not get. Every retailer knows it, so inboxes and feeds are full. This guide is for brands selling in those four markets, at home or cross-border: dates, a timeline, ten ideas with fitting game formats, prizes and the contest rules to check.
What is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is 26 December, the day after Christmas. It is a public holiday in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Canada. The name is old and its origin is disputed; the usual story is that it was the day when employers and households gave "Christmas boxes" of money or gifts to workers. Today it is best known as the start of the post-Christmas sales, both in shops and online. Many shops now start online on Christmas Day itself and run their sale until New Year, so it is often called Boxing Week.
When is Boxing Day in 2026 and 2027?
When 26 December falls on a weekend, most of these countries give a substitute public holiday on a weekday.
| Country | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| UK (all nations) | Sat 26 Dec; bank holiday Mon 28 Dec | Sun 26 Dec; bank holidays Mon 27 (Christmas) and Tue 28 Dec (Boxing Day) |
| Canada | Sat 26 Dec (listed public holiday); rules differ by province | Sun 26 Dec |
| Australia | Sat 26 Dec; extra public holiday Mon 28 Dec in most states (Fair Work) | Sun 26 Dec; check the state lists |
| New Zealand | Sat 26 Dec; observed Mon 28 Dec for those who don't work Saturday | Sun 26 Dec; observed Tue 28 Dec |
In 2026, the long weekend from Friday 25 to Monday 28 December gives you four days of sale traffic. In 2027, Christmas is on a Saturday, so the holidays move to Monday and Tuesday. In South Australia the holiday is called Proclamation Day. You can see the dates for each country in the free marketing calendar.
Boxing Day marketing: a planning timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Late October | Decide the goal: clear stock, win new customers, or bring back lapsed ones. Set the prize budget. |
| Mid November | Choose formats. Upload discount codes. Write the terms for any competition. |
| Early December | Build and test the campaign on a phone. Schedule your emails and SMS. |
| 2 weeks before | Open the early-access list. Promote it in your Christmas emails and order confirmations. |
| 25–28 December | Open the sale with a game. One short message per day to people who opted in. |
| 29 December to January | Follow up with players who did not buy, and move everyone into your January campaign. |
Black Friday and Cyber Monday take most of the budget and attention in November. Plan Boxing Day at the same time, so the two campaigns work together. Our guide to Black Week and Cyber Monday covers the November side.
10 Boxing Day promotion ideas
1. The early-access list in December
Ask people to sign up for first access to your Boxing Day deals. A pre-registration page with a countdown works well as a website popup during the Christmas shopping weeks. Shoppers who just bought a gift for someone else are often happy to sign up for a deal for themselves.
2. Open the sale with a scratch card
On Christmas evening or the morning of the 26th, send everyone on the list a link to a scratch card. Behind each card is a code: most get your standard sale discount, a few get a bigger one or a gift card. It turns "Our sale has started" into something people want to open.
3. A wheel for gift card holders
Many people come to your shop with a gift card after Christmas. Show them a spin the wheel popup that adds a bonus on top: free delivery, a small extra gift or a top-up. It increases the basket and collects an email from someone who may have been given your gift card without knowing your brand.
4. A mystery box for clearance stock
Boxing Day is when you clear the season's stock. A mystery box makes clearance fun: three boxes, one choice, and a deal behind each. You decide how many of each deal exist, so you can push the products you most need to sell.
5. A daily door for Boxing Week
A campaign calendar with one door per day from 26 December to New Year's Eve keeps people coming back during the slow days between Christmas and New Year. Each door holds a new deal, a game or a prize draw. It also bridges into your New Year campaign ideas.
6. A sports-themed prediction game
In all four countries, sport is part of the holiday. In the UK there is a full football programme around Boxing Day, Australia has a Test cricket match starting on 26 December, and Canada watches ice hockey. A guess the result game lets people predict scores and win prizes. Read more about prediction games. Avoid official team and event logos unless you have the rights.
7. A gift-return helper quiz
Not every gift fits. A product finder that helps people choose what to swap their unwanted gift or gift card for is helpful and collects real preferences at the same time. Use the answers to tailor your January emails.
8. QR codes for the in-store crowds
If you have shops, put a QR code on the sale posters, at the entrance and at the till. Shoppers in the queue scan, play on their phone and win a code they can use today or online. Make printed codes with the free QR code generator, and read more about QR codes in store and in-store competition ideas.
9. A skill game for the quiet days
The days after Boxing Day are long for many people. A skill game like slice it or memory game with a leaderboard gives them something to do and a reason to come back. Award the best scores on New Year's Eve.
10. The "what did you get?" survey
After the sale, send buyers a short survey with a prize draw. Ask what they got for Christmas, what they still want and what they would like to hear about. It is ideal input for your January plan. Our guide to Q5 marketing shows how to keep Christmas customers in January.
Prizes that work on Boxing Day
| Prize type | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Unique discount codes | Driving orders in the sale | Margin; use one-time codes from the discount code generator |
| Bonus on gift cards | Bigger baskets | Make the terms clear |
| Free delivery | Online orders | The minimum order |
| Gift cards | Main prizes and January visits | A clear expiry date |
| A big prize in a prize draw | Sign-ups and brand awareness | Clear terms and local rules |
A prize for a few people can cost less than an extra discount for everyone. Compare the two with the discount vs prize calculator, and set fair odds with the prize odds calculator. If you want printed coupons for the shop floor, try the printable coupon generator.
Contest rules in the four countries
Rules for competitions and prize draws differ between the four countries, and even within them.
- UK: The difference between a free prize draw and a skill competition matters. Our guide to prize draws vs competitions in the UK explains it.
- Canada: The Criminal Code prohibits disposing of goods by a game of chance, or of mixed chance and skill, where the contestant pays money or other valuable consideration, and the Competition Act requires adequate and fair disclosure of the number and approximate value of the prizes and of anything that materially affects the chances of winning. That is why Canadian contests usually offer a free way to enter and ask a skill-testing question. Quebec has its own requirements, so check with your lawyer.
- Australia and New Zealand: Some states and territories require a permit for trade promotion lotteries depending on the prize value, and New Zealand has its own rules. Check with your lawyer before you launch.
Competitions tied to a purchase have extra rules in most places, so check before you launch. Our guide on how to run an online competition and the free competition terms generator help you prepare.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
Collect sign-ups and consent
The Boxing Day crowd includes many first-time buyers, so make sure you can reach them again. Use a clear consent checkbox that is not ticked in advance, and say what people will receive. Consider double opt-in. The free consent text generator gives you a starting point. Send sign-ups to your email tool, such as Klaviyo or Mailchimp, so your welcome email goes out the same day, even on a holiday.
What to measure
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| New sign-ups and consent rate | How many new customers you can reach in January |
| Code redemption rate | Whether the game drives orders |
| Share of first-time buyers | Whether you won new customers or just discounted for regulars |
| Stock cleared | Whether the clearance goal was met |
| January repeat purchases | The real value of the Boxing Day buyers |
Tag every link with the free UTM builder, and estimate the result in advance with the campaign ROI calculator.
FAQ
When is Boxing Day 2026?
Boxing Day is on Saturday 26 December 2026. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the public holiday moves to Monday 28 December for most people.
When should Boxing Day sales start?
Many online shops start on Christmas Day or Christmas evening, and stores open on the 26th. Open an early-access list two weeks before, so you have people to send the first deals to.
How do I stand out from other Boxing Day sales?
Give people something to do, not just another percentage. A scratch card or wheel that reveals their deal, a daily door during Boxing Week or a prediction game around the holiday sport is more memorable than one more sale email.
Is Boxing Day still important now that Black Friday is so big?
Yes. Black Friday is about gifts for others. Boxing Day is when people shop for themselves, spend gift cards and look for clearance deals, so it reaches a different mood.
Plan your Boxing Day promotion
Pick three or four ideas and start from one of 150+ templates. Rex, our AI assistant, can design the campaign in your brand colors and write the texts. For more seasonal ideas, see our Christmas campaign ideas and seasonal sale ideas. Start your free 14-day trial, or book a meeting if you want help planning.
