Every December 26th is a mandatory Boxing Day holiday in Canada. Its origin is British and it has been a national holiday also in England, Wales and Ireland since 1871. On this day the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of Christianity, is celebrated, but today the tradition has little connection with that ecclesiastical date.

What is the meaning of Boxing Day? From the origins of this holiday to modern shopping there is a lot of history. The most solid theories about the origin of the day are linked to a tradition that began in the Middle Ages and that established giving gifts to servants after Christmas.

While there is no clear confirmation, many historians point to a direct link between the lyrics of the song Good King Wenceslas and Boxing Day. The lyrics of the Christmas song tell how Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia, saw a poor man gathering firewood for the winter and decided to take some of the food and wine left over from his feast to give to the man.

But there is another theory that rather connects the date to the Saturnales, the Roman slave festivals. On that day, roles were usually reversed and the master would offer his slaves a great feast and gifts.

Modern Shopping

Today Boxing Day in Canada is directly related to taking advantage of sales the day after Christmas. And what better way to celebrate Boxing Day than by shopping at local stores that are among the favorites of Canadians: Hudson's Bay, Canadian Tire and Real Canadian Superstore.

For Boxing Day, it is essential to implement effective pricing strategies and promotions. The formulas are varied to seduce different types of consumers today:

Aggressive markdowns

Consumers expect great deals during Boxing Day, so it is recommended to apply eye-catching discounts on the most popular products in your catalog. To do this, you will need to identify those products that are ideal for clearing stock or have a higher profit margin and allow you to apply more aggressive discounts and, therefore, be more attractive to your customers.

Lightning offers

Launching different flash sales during Boxing Day will help you keep your current customers and potential consumers alert and with the need to visit your ecommerce throughout the day to find what they are looking for at the best possible price. In addition, these types of limited-time offers create a sense of urgency that will accelerate the purchase decision.

Pack discounts

Bulk promotions include buy-one-get-one-free, 3x2, or second unit 50% off at half price. On the other hand, another formula that can help increase the number of sales and the average ticket is bundle pricing, which is also very popular during high sales dates.

These discounted prices by most of your competitors act as a hook that draws customers into your store and, once inside, they are motivated to buy other products with higher profit margins, incentivizing cross-shopping.

My Deals 365 brings you all the discount catalogs for your Boxing Day shopping pleasure!