Boxing Day Sale on Shopify: A UK and Australia Guide

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To run a Boxing Day sale on Shopify, set up a scheduled discount to start on the evening of 25 December, give subscribers early access, and run it through the bank holiday on Monday 28 December. Choose stock you want to clear, use genuine "was" prices, set clear delivery dates, and schedule your emails in advance so the sale runs while you're off.

Last updated: October 2026

Key takeaways

• Boxing Day 2026 falls on a Saturday. The bank holiday in the UK, and the additional public holiday in most of Australia, is Monday 28 December.
• That gives you a four-day window from Christmas evening to Monday night. Plan a short Boxing Week sale rather than a single day.
• Shopify lets you schedule discounts and emails ahead, so you can set everything up in early December and switch off.
• "Was" prices must be genuine in both the UK and Australia. Use prices you've actually charged for a meaningful period.
• Tell shoppers when orders will ship, because carriers won't collect on the bank holidays.

When is Boxing Day 2026 in the UK and Australia?

Boxing Day itself is Saturday 26 December 2026. Because it falls on a weekend, a substitute or additional holiday follows on Monday.

Sources: GOV.UK bank holidays and Fair Work Ombudsman 2026 public holidays. In Scotland, Friday 1 January and Monday 4 January 2027 are also bank holidays, which can extend a sale into the new year.

How do you plan a Boxing Day sale on a small Shopify store?

Start with a simple plan you can set up in an afternoon. This timeline works for most small stores.

If you're also running Black Friday, our Black Friday checklist for small Shopify stores covers the store checks that also apply here: speed, checkout and stock.

What should you put on sale for Boxing Day?

Products you want to move before the new year, plus a few bestsellers to bring people in. Boxing Day shoppers are often spending gift money or gift cards, so they're browsing with more intent than usual.

• Seasonal stock: Christmas-themed products that won't sell after the holidays.
• Overstock: lines you ordered too much of, or colours and sizes that didn't sell.
• Discontinued products: clear them before you change your range.
• One or two bestsellers: a modest discount on a popular item gets clicks on your emails and ads.
• Bundles: pair a slow seller with a popular one to clear stock without cutting prices across the board.

Keep full price on anything you're short of. A sale that sells out of your best product on day one leaves nothing for January.

How to set up a Boxing Day sale in Shopify

1. Create a sale collection. Add every discounted product to one collection so shoppers can browse the whole sale in one place.
2. Schedule the discount. In Discounts, create an automatic discount or a discount code and set a start and end date and time. Set the start for the evening of 25 December and the end for late on 28 December.
3. Use compare-at prices for was/now. If you show a crossed-out price, set it in each product's compare-at price field, and only use a price you genuinely charged before the sale (see the rules below).
4. Give subscribers early access. Create a separate code that starts a few hours earlier, and send it only to your email list.
5. Add a sale banner to your homepage and announcement bar with the end date. Prepare it in advance and set a reminder to switch it on Christmas evening, or use a theme-scheduling app if you'd rather not touch your phone on Christmas Day.
6. Schedule your emails. Write three: early access, main sale, last day. Our Black Friday email ideas for small stores work for Boxing Day with a change of dates.
7. Check prices in each currency. If you sell in pounds and Australian dollars through Shopify Markets, preview the sale in both before it starts.
8. Test it. Place a test order with the discount on your phone, then cancel it.

If you don't have a Shopify store yet and want one ready for next year's sales, you can start a free Shopify trial and build it in the quieter months.

What pricing rules apply to Boxing Day sales?

In both countries, the main rule is that your discounts must be real. This is general information, not legal advice.

United Kingdom. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 lets the Competition and Markets Authority enforce consumer law directly and fine businesses that mislead shoppers. Trading Standards' Guidance for Traders on Pricing Practices sets out how to use reference prices fairly. In practice:

• Only use a "was" price you genuinely charged, for a meaningful period, shortly before the sale.
• Don't raise prices just before the sale to make the discount look bigger.
• Include unavoidable charges in the price you show, and make delivery costs clear early.
• Don't use fake countdown timers or false "only 2 left" messages.

Australia. The ACCC says a "was" price must be one the product was genuinely offered at for a reasonable period before the promotion, and it has taken action against online retailers over was/now and strikethrough pricing. In September 2026 it also issued penalties to retailers over claims about how long their Black Friday sales would last, so if your sale says it ends on Monday, end it on Monday. See the ACCC's advertising and promotions guidance.

If a product has only ever been sold at the sale price, say "special price" rather than showing a crossed-out "was" price.

Delivery and returns over the holidays

Shoppers buying on Boxing Day know there's a bank holiday. What frustrates them is not knowing when their order will arrive.

• Say when you'll ship. For example: "Orders placed 25 to 28 December ship from Tuesday 29 December."
• Check your carrier's holiday schedule and update delivery estimates in your shipping settings and on your FAQ page.
• State your returns policy clearly. In the UK, most online orders have a 14-day cancellation period under consumer law. In Australia, refunds are required for major problems, but change-of-mind returns are up to you. If you offer extended holiday returns, say exactly when they end.
• Set an auto-reply on your support email saying when you'll be back and where to find delivery and returns information.

Store checks before the sale

• Homepage, sale collection and product pages load quickly on mobile. Our guide to preparing your Shopify store for Black Friday covers speed and checkout checks that apply here too.
• Your abandoned checkout email is switched on. Boxing Day browsers often leave and come back later.
• Discount codes don't stack in ways you didn't intend.
• Stock levels are accurate, so you don't sell what you don't have.
• Gift cards can be used at checkout alongside your sale prices.

If you're in the US

Boxing Day isn't a holiday in the US, but if your analytics show UK or Australian visitors, you can run a short "year-end sale" in those markets using Shopify Markets, with prices in pounds or Australian dollars. Keep the US offer separate, so your American customers see a message that makes sense to them.

Do it yourself or have it done for you

Do it yourself: a small store can set up a Boxing Day sale in an afternoon using scheduled discounts and emails. Do the setup in early December, test it, and enjoy the holiday.

Have it done for you: if you'd rather someone else set up the sale collection, banners, discounts and store checks, our Care plans cover ongoing edits and seasonal updates, from $99 a month with no lock-in. Komrex, a Shopify store design agency, has a team that has built 900+ Shopify stores, and we can have your store sale-ready before your last posting date.

Frequently asked questions

When should a Boxing Day sale start online?

Many online retailers in the UK and Australia start their Boxing Day sales on the evening of Christmas Day, when shoppers are already browsing on their phones. In 2026, with Boxing Day on a Saturday and the holiday on Monday 28 December, a sale running from Christmas evening to Monday night gives you four days.

Is Boxing Day a bank holiday in 2026?

Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December 2026. In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Monday 28 December is the substitute bank holiday. In most Australian states and territories, both Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December are public holidays. In Tasmania, only Monday 28 December is the public holiday.

How much should I discount for Boxing Day?

There's no rule. Base it on your margins and what you want to achieve. Deeper discounts suit stock you need to clear, while bestsellers only need a small reduction. Work out your profit after product cost, shipping, payment fees and any ad spend before you choose a percentage, and never discount below what you can afford.

Can I schedule a sale in Shopify to start automatically?

Yes. When you create an automatic discount or a discount code in Shopify, you can set a start date and time and an end date and time. The discount switches on and off by itself. Schedule your sale emails in the same way, so the whole sale runs while you're away.

Do I have to accept returns on Boxing Day sale items?

In the UK, most online purchases come with a 14-day cancellation period under consumer law, and sale items are no exception. In Australia, you must offer a remedy if an item has a major problem, but change-of-mind returns are your choice. Whatever your policy, show it clearly before customers buy.

Put a date in your diary for early December to choose your sale products. Everything else follows from that list.