UK retailers see increase in “Boxing Day” online traffic
The UK’s leading retailers saw a 16% year-over-year increase in online traffic on “Boxing Day”, according to digital research company SimilarWeb. The company added that the “biggest winner” was Homebase which registered a 138% one-day increase in traffic from Christmas Day to Boxing Day (25-26 December), based on combined desktop and mobile visits. It was followed by fellow home improvement site, DIY.com – B&Q’s online offering – which saw a 94% one-day increase in visits.
The other big winners were supermarkets: Sainsbury’s registered a 71% one-day increase on Boxing Day followed by Asda (68%) and Marks & Spencer (61%).
The biggest retail winners for one-day rises in active app use were QVC (62%), ASDA (52%) Geek (49%) and Argos (41%).
Overall, 66% of consumers browsing online shopping sites on Boxing Day did so via their smartphones, SimilarWeb found.
Pascal Cohen, SimilarWeb Digital Insights Manager, said: “Boxing Day provided major online boosts for leading home improvement retailers who registered some of their biggest spikes in traffic for the entire year.
“Retailers also appreciate that the majority of their customers are now browsing and buying over this period on their smartphones, and appear to be offering a seamless service across all touch points on one of the busiest shopping dates of the year.”
