A total of $1.3 billion is expected to be spent on Boxing Day itself, an almost 2 per cent increase on last year's spending figures, data from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) shows. For the six days following Christmas, it is expected shoppers will spend $3.7 billion across that period, which is 2.7 per cent more than last year.

Many retailers have launched early Boxing Day sales and major discounts are in full swing now it's Christmas Eve. If you are buying (late) presents over the next few days, be mindful of delivery times if shopping online – next-day delivery isn’t always guaranteed at this time of year, even with Amazon.

Australians flocked to stores and queued up online on Thursday for an expected record-breaking year for Boxing Day sales.

Shoppers flocked to malls on Thursday to take advantage of Boxing Day deals made more enticing by the federal government’s GST holiday, but some say the lower prices aren’t enough to keep up with the country’s cost of living.

Drop in Boxing Day shopper footfall ‘could be influenced by cost-of-living crisis’ - Analysts predicted Boxing Day shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, with most purchases made online.