{"id":82259,"date":"2024-10-02T19:13:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T19:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/boxing-day\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T21:34:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:34:53","slug":"boxing-day","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/boxing-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Boxing Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Boxing Day<\/strong> is celebrated every year on December 26, right after Christmas. It originated in the United Kingdom as a day associated with gratuities and donations, although today it is best known for sales, shopping and football matches. For a business, it also opens a very specific commercial window: recovering sales after December 25, moving stock and starting to build loyalty among people who have just made a purchase.<\/p>\n\n

Does it make sense to prepare a campaign if your business is based in Spain? It depends less on where you are based than on the market you sell to. If you have customers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or other places where the date is familiar, the name alone can trigger immediate purchase intent. If your audience doesn’t know the tradition, the same offer can be presented as post-Christmas sales or an end-of-year promotion.<\/p>\n\n

And that is where the opportunity lies: adapting the campaign to each group instead of sending the same message to your entire database.<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

What is Boxing Day<\/h2>\n\n

Boxing Day is a holiday of British origin that takes place on December 26. In several countries with an Anglo-Saxon tradition it is a public holiday and coincides with St. Stephen’s Day. Over time, the day took on a strong commercial component and became a popular date for launching discounts, clearing inventory and buying whatever didn’t arrive as a Christmas present.<\/p>\n\n

The name can be misleading: it has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. The most widespread explanation links the word boxing<\/em> to the boxes<\/em> that held money, food or gifts for employees, tradespeople and people in need. It is also associated with the alms boxes that some churches opened after Christmas. There is no single, settled historical account, so it is best to speak of several converging traditions and avoid presenting a legend as fact.<\/p>\n\n

Today, its meaning changes depending on the context. For many families it is a day of rest, visits or sport; for retailers, it marks the start of the post-Christmas sales. On the marketing calendar, it fills the short gap between gift shopping and planning for the new year.<\/p>\n\n

When is Boxing Day and where is it celebrated<\/h2>\n\n

The date never changes: Boxing Day is on December 26<\/strong>. When it falls on a weekend, the substitute public holiday may be moved to a weekday depending on the country, but the celebration and the promotions are still associated with the 26th. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday.<\/p>\n\n

The tradition is especially recognized in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and various Commonwealth countries. Ireland celebrates St. Stephen’s Day on that date, although retailers and consumers may also use the English name. In the United States and much of continental Europe, on the other hand, the name is less familiar.<\/p>\n\n

This geographical difference matters much more than a literal translation. A Spanish brand selling to London or Toronto can use \u201cBoxing Day sale\u201d without stopping to explain the date. For a Spanish audience, \u201cofertas despu\u00e9s de Navidad\u201d (after-Christmas deals) or \u201crebajas de fin de a\u00f1o\u201d (end-of-year sales) conveys the promise with less friction. Keeping December 26 as the commercial trigger while localizing the language is usually the best combination.<\/p>\n\n

How it relates to sales and football<\/h2>\n\n

Boxing Day deals became popular in brick-and-mortar stores, with early-morning queues and discounts aimed at clearing Christmas stock. Ecommerce later extended the promotion: many brands open access before the 26th, extend it into a \u201cBoxing Week\u201d or tie the campaign in with the January sales.<\/p>\n\n

Football adds another cultural layer. In England, Boxing Day has been associated for decades with league matches and families gathering around the broadcasts. For a brand linked to sport, hospitality or leisure, this connection makes it possible to create recognizable messages without reducing the conversation to a discount percentage.<\/p>\n\n

But it is important to respect the local context. Using British clich\u00e9s in any country can come across as merely decorative; using a reference your audience shares helps the campaign feel designed for them.<\/p>\n\n

Boxing Day vs. Black Friday: differences for your strategy<\/h2>\n\n

Although both moments are associated with promotions, they respond to different moods. Black Friday comes before Christmas and captures people who are comparing prices and looking for gifts. Boxing Day finds a shopper who already knows what they received, may have money or gift cards to spend and is starting to think about themselves or the new year.<\/p>\n\n

Aspect<\/th>Black Friday<\/th>Boxing Day<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Moment<\/td>Late November<\/td>December 26<\/td><\/tr>
Usual motivation<\/td>Getting ahead on purchases and gifts<\/td>Self-gifting, exchanges, gift balances and post-Christmas bargains<\/td><\/tr>
Main market<\/td>International reach<\/td>Greatest recognition in English-speaking markets<\/td><\/tr>
Competitive pressure<\/td>Very high and prolonged<\/td>High, but concentrated and more local<\/td><\/tr>
Useful message<\/td>Price, availability and delivery before Christmas<\/td>Renewal, treats, clearance and the start of the year<\/td><\/tr>
Risk<\/td>Discounting too early<\/td>Repeating the Christmas campaign without changing the approach<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

That’s why copying your Black Friday email and swapping the date usually results in a weak campaign. The product, the promise and the moment of use need to respond to what happens after Christmas. A sporting goods item can be tied to New Year’s resolutions; a fashion retailer, to the winter season; a home goods store, to refreshing living spaces.<\/p>\n\n

Is a Boxing Day campaign right for your business?<\/h2>\n\n

The short answer is yes when you sell to a market that recognizes the date, you have the stock or a suitable offer and you can segment your communications. It can also work outside those countries if you translate the concept into an understandable post-Christmas promotion.<\/p>\n\n

Before deciding, look at your business data. Check which countries your customers buy from, which categories remain active after the 25th, how much margin each product can take and what happened with the new buyers from November and December. The commercial occasion alone does not make up for a discount that destroys margin or a campaign sent to uninterested contacts.<\/p>\n\n

Some sectors are an obvious fit: ecommerce, fashion, electronics, beauty, sport, travel, leisure and home products. However, services can also take part with vouchers, upgrades, new-year consulting sessions or early access. In B2B, a less urgent communication focused on planning usually feels more natural than a flash sale.<\/p>\n\n

How to design a Boxing Day campaign without improvising<\/h2>\n\n

A one-day promotion needs advance preparation. First, define the result you are after: revenue, units sold, inventory clearance, acquiring new buyers or a repeat purchase. That goal determines both the offer and the audience, and keeps you from judging success solely by the number of opens.<\/p>\n\n

Choose an offer that protects your margin<\/h3>\n\n

A sitewide discount is easy to understand, but it isn’t always the most profitable option. You can save the biggest discount for overstocked products, create bundles, offer free shipping above a certain amount or give credit toward a future purchase. That last option creates a reason to come back in January.<\/p>\n\n

Calculate the contribution margin after the discount, logistics costs and expected returns. If the numbers only work with an exceptional conversion rate, the offer needs adjusting. Also, display the terms and the reference price clearly, and check the regulations on price reductions in every market where you sell.<\/p>\n\n

Segment by country, behavior and value<\/h3>\n\n

The first split should be geographical: contacts familiar with Boxing Day versus audiences who will better understand \u201cpost-Christmas sales\u201d. Then you can separate recent buyers, repeat customers, subscribers who haven’t purchased, users who visited a category and people with abandoned carts.<\/p>\n\n

Custom fields let you adapt the currency, language, name or favorite category. And segmenting by value keeps you from treating a one-time buyer the same way as a loyal customer. For that last group, early access or an exclusive gift can protect the relationship better than an across-the-board discount.<\/p>\n\n

If you need a refresher on the approach, this guide to online mailing and segmentation<\/a> explains how to personalize campaigns and test different elements of your send.<\/p>\n\n

Build a sequence for before, during and after<\/h3>\n\n

A single email sent on the 26th leaves too much to chance. It’s a good idea to prepare a short sequence in which each message serves a different purpose:<\/p>\n\n

    \n
  1. Teaser<\/strong>, between December 22 and 24: present the benefit or open early access to loyal customers without competing with your Christmas greeting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Launch<\/strong>, on the morning of the 26th in the recipient’s time zone: explain the offer, the deadline and the terms, with a clearly visible main button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Reminder<\/strong>, in the afternoon or before the offer closes: change the angle, feature a specific category and avoid resending exactly the same creative.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Follow-up<\/strong>, on the 27th or 28th: confirm the end, recover carts or turn the campaign into a Boxing Week offer if that extension was planned.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Post-purchase<\/strong>, after the order: provide delivery information, ask about preferences and prepare a relevant recommendation for January.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    Automation reduces manual work over the holidays. You can exclude people who have already bought, trigger a reminder based on behavior or send each subscriber down a different branch. At Mailrelay<\/a> we offer a visual automation editor, segmentation, custom fields and A\/B testing in an intuitive dashboard. The free account lets you send up to 80,000 emails a month to a maximum of 20,000 contacts, with multilingual human support by phone, chat and tickets, even on free accounts.<\/p>\n\n

    Write the email for a crowded inbox<\/h3>\n\n

    The subject line should provide information rather than noise. A date, category, benefit or condition can be more persuasive than a string of capital letters and exclamation marks. Use the preheader to clarify what doesn’t fit in the subject line: deadline, exclusions or the free shipping threshold.<\/p>\n\n

    Inside the email, put a concrete promise at the top, an image that helps people choose and a consistent call to action. If you show too many categories, you force readers to work through an entire catalog on their phones. A short selection of products based on previous purchases or clicks lightens that load.<\/p>\n\n

    And let people reply.<\/p>\n\n

    A monitored address builds trust and can resolve questions about sizes, delivery or returns before the sale is lost. If you want to dig deeper into this point, find out why you should avoid noreply emails<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

    Boxing Day email subject lines you can adapt<\/h2>\n\n

    A good subject line matches the actual offer and how familiar the audience is with the occasion. These formulas are a starting point, not copy to paste for all your segments:<\/p>\n\n

    Goal<\/th>Sample subject line<\/th>Suggested preheader<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Launch<\/td>Boxing Day: our winter selection starts now<\/td>Available until midnight or while stocks last<\/td><\/tr>
    Loyalty<\/td>Early access for our best customers<\/td>Get in before we open the promotion to everyone<\/td><\/tr>
    Self-gifting<\/td>Wasn’t it under the tree? It might be here<\/td>A selection designed for that treat you’ve been putting off<\/td><\/tr>
    Average order value<\/td>Your gift balance goes further today<\/td>Discover our December 26 bundles and perks<\/td><\/tr>
    Urgency<\/td>Final hours of our Boxing Day deals<\/td>The promotion ends today at 11:59 p.m.<\/td><\/tr>
    Spanish audience<\/td>After-Christmas sales: 24 hours<\/td>End-of-year deals in your favorite categories<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    Before sending, test one variable at a time. An A\/B test between a discount-focused subject line and a product-focused one can reveal what motivates your audience; changing the subject line, sender and time all at once makes it impossible to know what caused the difference. These email copywriting<\/a> ideas will also help you structure your promise, proof and call to action.<\/p>\n\n

    How to personalize the campaign for Spain and international markets<\/h2>\n\n

    An international strategy is not about translating word for word. In the United Kingdom or Canada you can put Boxing Day in the subject line and assume the reader recognizes the occasion. In Spain you may need to explain the term once or leave it out of the commercial creative altogether. Content can be positioned for the search \u201cqu\u00e9 es Boxing Day\u201d (what is Boxing Day), while the email uses a more transparent expression.<\/p>\n\n

    Also adapt the currency, schedules, delivery terms, return periods and product availability. December 26 may be a public holiday at the destination and affect customer support or shipping. Communicating a realistic delivery date keeps a sales peak from turning into a string of complaints.<\/p>\n\n

    If your store operates in several regions, create versions using segments and custom fields. Internationalizing a business<\/a> requires paying attention to the language, habits and channels of each market, and email lets you put those differences into practice without duplicating your whole strategy.<\/p>\n\n

    What to measure after the campaign<\/h2>\n\n

    The open rate provides context, but business decisions need metrics that are closer to revenue. Look at unique clicks, conversions, revenue per send, average order value, margin after discounts, unsubscribes, complaints and returns. If you use UTM parameters or a different code for each segment, you’ll be able to attribute results more accurately.<\/p>\n\n

    Where attention is concentrated also matters. Click maps and heatmaps show whether the main button is getting interaction or whether subscribers are scattering across secondary links. In Mailrelay you can view real-time reports and compare the performance of campaigns and A\/B tests. The REST API and the WordPress plugin also make it easy to connect lead capture and your operations with your digital ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n

    A useful analysis compares equivalent groups. Did customers with early access generate more margin than those who received the general launch? Did the \u201cBoxing Day\u201d version perform better in the United Kingdom than the translated message? Did people acquired during Black Friday buy again? Those answers are useful for January and for the next Christmas campaign.<\/p>\n\n

    Because the value of Boxing Day continues after the offer closes.<\/p>\n\n

    Common mistakes that cost you sales and trust<\/h2>\n\n

    The first mistake is sending the full campaign to an international list without distinguishing between countries. A term that is familiar in Manchester can be confusing in Madrid or Mexico City. The second is applying a uniform discount to products with very different margins, a decision that boosts revenue while reducing profit.<\/p>\n\n

    Overusing urgency also hurts. If you announce a \u201clast chance\u201d and extend the same offer for a week without explaining why, you train customers to distrust deadlines. Scarcity must be verifiable, and the terms should be easy to find.<\/p>\n\n

    Another common failure shows up after the purchase. Volume increases, but nobody adapts the transactional emails, customer service or logistics forecasts. Before launch, make sure stock is synced, pages load properly on mobile and the team can respond in the languages promised.<\/p>\n\n

    How to prepare your campaign with Mailrelay<\/h2>\n\n

    You can build the campaign with Mailrelay<\/a> without adding complexity to an already busy week. Import or collect your contacts with consent, create groups by market and behavior, design the email with the AI-assisted editor and schedule the sequence. Then A\/B tests and reports let you improve using your own data.<\/p>\n\n

    The free tier\u2014up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts\u2014gives you room to split audiences and test variants without the cost of each segment discouraging experimentation. And if a question comes up while setting up the automation, our expert multilingual support is available on all accounts.<\/p>\n\n

    High deliverability also depends on your practices: use a permission-based list, authenticate your domain, remove invalid addresses and adjust your sending frequency. The platform provides reliable infrastructure; the relevance of the message and the quality of the list do the rest.<\/p>\n\n

    Frequently asked questions about Boxing Day<\/h2>\n\n

    These short answers cover the questions that usually come up before planning a campaign or interpreting the tradition.<\/p>\n\n

    What does Boxing Day mean in Spanish?<\/h3>\n\n

    It can be translated descriptively as \u201cd\u00eda de las cajas\u201d (day of the boxes), although the usual practice is to keep the name Boxing Day. The word most likely refers to boxes containing gratuities, donations or gifts, not to the sport of boxing.<\/p>\n\n

    What day is Boxing Day?<\/h3>\n\n

    It is celebrated every year on December 26. If it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, some countries move the official public holiday, but commercial offers usually keep the reference to the 26th.<\/p>\n\n

    Where is it celebrated?<\/h3>\n\n

    It is particularly well established in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries historically linked to the Commonwealth. How widely it is recognized and its rules as a public holiday vary from place to place.<\/p>\n\n

    Is Boxing Day the same as Black Friday?<\/h3>\n\n

    No. Black Friday takes place after Thanksgiving, before Christmas, and has global reach. Boxing Day comes on December 26, has British roots and is tied to purchases made after Christmas gifts.<\/p>\n\n

    Why is there football on Boxing Day?<\/h3>\n\n

    The holiday became a traditional date for British sporting competitions, especially English football. The exact fixture list changes every season, and there is no guarantee that all matches will always be played on the 26th itself.<\/p>\n\n

    Is Boxing Day celebrated in Spain?<\/h3>\n\n

    It is not a widespread commercial or cultural holiday in Spain. Even so, Spanish stores that sell to English-speaking markets can create specific campaigns; for the domestic audience, an end-of-year or after-Christmas promotion is usually easier to understand.<\/p>\n\n

    When should you send the campaign email?<\/h3>\n\n

    You can tease the offer between December 22 and 24, launch the main message on the 26th according to the time zone and send a reminder before it closes. Adjust the frequency based on your data and exclude people who have already bought when the second send offers them nothing.<\/p>\n\n

    Do you have to offer a discount?<\/h3>\n\n

    No. Free shipping, bundles, a gift, early access or credit for January can create value without applying a sitewide discount. The choice should fit your margin and the motivation of the segment.<\/p>\n\n

    Which products work best on Boxing Day?<\/h3>\n\n

    Winter stock, electronics, fashion, beauty, home, sport and items linked to New Year’s resolutions are usually a good fit. Your browsing, sales and cart data provide a more reliable answer than any generic category.<\/p>\n\n

    How do I know if the campaign worked?<\/h3>\n\n

    Compare revenue and margin with the cost of the promotion and the send. Then review conversions, average order value, returns, unsubscribes and performance by segment; opens or clicks on their own don’t prove profitability.<\/p>\n\n

    A local date that can open up international sales<\/h2>\n\n

    Boxing Day retains a specific cultural identity, but its commercial value doesn’t end at the borders of the countries that celebrate it. The key is recognizing who understands the name, what they want to buy after Christmas and what offer they can receive without eroding your margin or trust in your brand.<\/p>\n\n

    A segmented, automated and carefully measured campaign turns December 26 into more than just another sale. It helps you get to know your Christmas shoppers better, encourage a second purchase and start January with actionable insights.<\/p>\n\n

    Related entries<\/h2>\n\n