Shoppers to shun fast fashion brands in Boxing Day sales, finds survey

Britons set to spend £200m less overall due to environmental concerns

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Shoppers are set to spend less on fast fashion brands in this year’s Boxing Day sales, new research by Barclaycard has found.

The survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found that 67 per cent of Britons plan to spend less on cheap clothing that they will wear only a handful of times due to concerns about how it may impact the environment.

Fears over the climate crisis are expected to drive down sales by £200m overall, with 62 per cent of shoppers intending to make fewer purchases.

However, the survey found some shoppers still do intend to make the most of the Boxing Day discounts, with four in 10 expected to spend an average of £186 each.

Barclaycard, which processes almost half of all credit and debit card transactions in the UK, says that the decrease in spending could also be down to most Britons having already made the bulk of their discounted purchases on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, both of which took place in November.

Rob Cameron, chief executive of Barclaycard Payments, said: “Despite Boxing Day remaining a key moment in the retail calendar, savvy shoppers have been planning their large purchases throughout the entire festive sales period, which begins long before December.

“Our data for Black Friday and Cyber Monday revealed a huge jump in transaction volumes this year, so it’s not surprising that consumers expect to have less money to spend after Christmas, so retailers need to take that into account.

“What’s more, our research shows that shoppers are increasingly thinking about how their purchases impact the environment.

"Forward-thinking retailers should be making a conscious effort to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, in order to boost their appeal – and their revenue.”