Sales table brawls and shoppers queueing overnight may be a thing of Boxing Days past, but Australians are tipped to spend a record $23.9 billion at this year's post-Christmas sales, with experts predicting bigger discounts from stores trying to clear stock.
Research from the Australian Retailers Association with Roy Morgan predicts that ACT shoppers will dish out $441 million at this year at Boxing Day sales - a 0.6 per cent rise in year-on-year spending.
While many households have struggled with rising cost-of-living pressures this year, ARA chief executive officer Paul Zahra said shoppers have used Black Friday and Boxing Day strategically to get more bang for their buck.
"Black Friday is very much around completing your Christmas gift list, shopping for others... we get to Boxing Day and people are shopping for themselves," he said.
Discounts 'deeper than ever'
Mr Zahra said retailers will be delivering bigger discounts come 26 December, as they try to clear shelves following what he expects to have been a quieter Christmas trading period.
"They're definitely sharpening their pencils. There's going to be greater discounts," he said.
Brian Walker, retail consultant and chief executive of Retail Doctor Group, agreed, predicting customers will see 25 per cent discounts on average, compared to the typical 15 to 20 percent of years past.
Across the country, retailers are expected to see sales up around $400 million on 2022, according to ARA, with department stores driving the greatest growth.
Myer chief customer officer Geoff Ikin promised the store's discounts will be "deeper than ever, with up to 75 per cent off homewares, 50 per cent off fashion, 20 per cent off kitchen appliances, and up to 50 per cent off selected cosmetics".
The retail giant expects to move 122,000 towels, 40,000 men's t-shirts, and 30,000 dinnerware sets.
Meanwhile, Ben Webster, general manager of retail operations at David Jones, said they expect up to one million customers will shop online and in-store on Tuesday, who will benefit from more than 250 sales offers.
Canberra small businesses will also be getting in on the action, with Kingston boutique Honeysuckle and Lace planning to entice customers in with store-wide discounts and drinks while they shop.
"We want to create that little bit of fun for people," store owner Maria Wolters said.
Ms Wolters said that while she "can't complain" about the year, 2023 "definitely had its challenges" for the small business thanks to the pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
"I still really feel like we are catching up from everything we've gone through in the last few years, so we just have to keep on going, keep on working," she said.
"I suppose the hope is that we will have a good sales day."
Stores quieter as frenzy moves online
While stores may look quieter on Boxing Day than they have done in the past, experts assure that the frenzy has simply moved further online.
Not only are this year's consumers more budget conscious, Mr Walker said, but also savvier with their spending thanks to the rise of online shopping, which allows them to compare and snag the best deals.
"In years gone by, people would stroll through shopping centres. It would [see] very high speculative impulse shopping," he said.
"Now we're seeing a much greater focus on targeted shopping: I want a pair of headphones... Aggregate sites tell me the best price, I see a Boxing Day sale with the best price, that's what I'll go with."
Mr Zahra said that many people start their Boxing Day shopping on Christmas Day online from comfort of their couch.
"They've got their list, they're ready to go, and they will often start that shopping - retailers dream of course - after a couple of glasses of wine. And then what we see generally is that the traffic builds up through the day," he said.
Mr Zahra said that, despite the shifting retail landscape and economic pressures, one fact had remained true of Boxing Day throughout the years: "Australia's favourite sport of that day is to shop".
