Post-Christmas & Boxing Day Revenue Playbook for Shopify (2026)
71% of holiday shoppers plan to shop Dec 26-Jan 1, but most stores go dark on Christmas Day. Learn the five post-Christmas segments, a phased clearance calendar, and the 110% store credit strategy that turns returns into revenue.
Muhammed Tüfekyapan
Key Takeaways
- 1 71% of holiday shoppers plan to shop between December 26 and January 1 - treat December 26 as a campaign launch date, not a shutdown date
- 2 Gift card holders spend $31.75 more than their card value on average - they need curated collections and cross-sells, not clearance discounts
- 3 32-42% of consumers buy self-gifts after Christmas with an average budget of $264 - use self-reward messaging and Trigger Campaigns to convert them
- 4 Holiday returns represent 20-30% of December sales - offer 110% store credit instead of cash refunds to keep revenue in your store
- 5 Do not run 50% off everything on December 26 - use a phased clearance calendar: 20% sitewide Dec 26-28, deeper on slow movers Dec 29-31, final clearance Jan 1-3
- 6 Growth Suite Trigger Campaigns show personalized offers only to walk-away visitors while dedicated buyers and gift card redeemers pay full price
Most Shopify stores shut down their campaigns on Christmas Day. That is a big mistake. A strong post christmas sales strategy shopify merchants need starts on December 26, not before it. 71% of holiday shoppers plan to shop between December 26 and January 1. That is a huge window. And most stores miss it.
This is your boxing day revenue ecommerce window. It lasts seven days. Five different customer segments are ready to buy. Gift card holders have free money. Self-gifters want to treat themselves. Return shoppers are looking for replacements. Clearance hunters are waiting for deals. Resolution buyers are starting New Year purchases.
In this guide, you will learn how to target each of these segments. You will get a phased clearance calendar, a returns-to-revenue framework, and the Growth Suite features that help you capture this revenue. Your post christmas sales strategy shopify store owners build does not end on Christmas Day. It starts over on December 26.
Why December 26 Is Your Second-Biggest Revenue Opportunity
December 26 is not a quiet day. It is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Your boxing day revenue ecommerce potential is huge. Shoppers are motivated. They have money to spend. And they are ready to buy right now.
Here are the numbers. 71% of holiday shoppers plan to shop between December 26 and January 1. 22% of consumers believe the best markdowns happen the day after Christmas. They are waiting for this window. If you have nothing set up, they shop at your competitors instead.
Think about who is shopping after Christmas. Gift card holders have "free money" to spend. Self-gifters want to buy something for themselves after a month of buying for others. People who received bad gifts are processing returns and looking for replacements. Resolution buyers are starting their New Year purchases early.
The biggest mistake is going dark on December 25. No clearance plan. No gift card emails. No self gifting marketing strategy holiday messages. You lose seven full days of high-intent shoppers. Every day without a campaign between December 26 and January 1 is lost boxing day revenue ecommerce that goes to competitors. A complete post christmas sales strategy shopify store owners need covers all five segments. Not just clearance.
Key Insight: Most Shopify stores turn off their campaigns on December 25 and lose seven days of high-intent revenue. 71% of holiday shoppers plan to shop between December 26 and January 1. Gift card holders, self-gifters, and return shoppers are all ready to buy. The stores that capture this window treat December 26 as a campaign launch date, not a shutdown date.
Gift Card Redeemers: The Highest-Value Post-Christmas Segment
Gift card holders are your most valuable post-Christmas customers. 61% of gift card holders spend more than the card value. On average, they spend $31.75 above their card amount. That extra money comes from their own wallet. A smart gift card redemption campaign ecommerce plan captures both the card value and the overspend.
Price sensitivity is very low for this segment. They are spending someone else's money. Deep discounts are unnecessary and waste your margin. Do not put gift card redeemers into your clearance funnel. They do not need 30% off. They need a curated collection of great products. A gift card redemption campaign ecommerce plan is the easiest boxing day revenue ecommerce win you can get.
How to Set Up Your Gift Card Campaign
Create a "Spend Your Gift Card" collection. Include best-sellers and new arrivals. Not clearance items. Gift card holders want to feel like they are treating themselves, not buying leftovers.
Send a "Your Gift Card Is Waiting" email on December 26. Include product recommendations based on your best-selling holiday items. This single email can be your highest-revenue email of the entire gift card redemption campaign ecommerce sequence.
Use cross-sell recommendations to push shoppers above their card value. "Complete the look" and "Frequently bought together" suggestions work well. Growth Suite's Trending Products and Frequently Bought Together features surface the items most likely to be added to cart. They help gift card holders discover products and spend beyond their card balance. This is a key part of any gift card redemption campaign ecommerce stores should set up before December 26. It is also one of the best moves in your post christmas sales strategy shopify plan.
| Segment | Peak Window | Price Sensitivity | Discount Needed | Best Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gift Card Redeemers | Dec 26-31 | Very Low | None | Curated collections, cross-sells |
| Self-Gifters | Dec 26-30 | Low-Medium | Small (10-15%) | Self-reward messaging, Trigger Campaigns |
| Return-and-Replace | Dec 26-Jan 3 | Low | Exchange incentive | 110% store credit, easy exchanges |
| Clearance Shoppers | Dec 26-Jan 3 | High | Deep (20-50% tiered) | Tiered clearance calendar |
| Resolution Buyers | Dec 29-Jan 5 | Medium | Small or none | "New Year" collections |
Self-Gifters and Resolution Buyers: Two Segments You Cannot Ignore
Self-Gifters (Dec 26-30)
After buying gifts for everyone else, many shoppers want something for themselves. 32-42% of consumers buy self-gifts after Christmas. The average self-gift budget is $264. Gen Z spends 39% of their total holiday budget on self-gifts. This segment is large and growing fast.
Your self gifting marketing strategy holiday messaging should feel like permission. "You bought for everyone else. Now it is your turn." Self-reward and treat-yourself language works better than discount-first messaging. These shoppers are buying with emotion, not price comparison.
Feature premium products, luxury items, and personal-use products they would not buy as gifts for others. Growth Suite Trigger Campaigns work well here. Self-gifters browse, add items to cart, and then pause. They feel unsure about spending on themselves after a month of buying for everyone else. A personalized, time-limited offer gives them a nudge to complete the purchase. This self gifting marketing strategy holiday approach converts browsers into buyers without deep discounts.
Resolution Buyers (Dec 29-Jan 5)
New Year resolution purchases spike in fitness, wellness, productivity, and self-improvement categories. In 2025, Shopify saw a 384% increase in spin exercise bike sales and a 69% increase in planner sales during this window.
Create a "New Year, Fresh Start" or "Start 2027 Strong" collection. Time it for December 29-30. Send an email on December 30 with "Start Fresh" messaging. This captures the pre-New Year motivation window before the January rush. If your products do not fit resolution categories, skip this segment and focus on the other four. Not every boxing day revenue ecommerce strategy applies to every store. Pick the segments that match your catalog.
Turn Holiday Returns Into Revenue, Not Losses
Holiday returns represent 20-30% of December sales. That is $171 billion annually in ecommerce returns. Most stores see returns as a cost center. Smart stores see them as a holiday returns revenue conversion opportunity. The difference between the two is your strategy.
Post-Christmas returns were up 4.7% from December 26-31 in 2025. But here is the key insight. Every return is a browsing session. The customer is already in your store, already looking at products, and already has money to spend. Your holiday returns revenue conversion strategy turns that browsing session into a new purchase. A complete post christmas sales strategy shopify merchants build includes a returns plan as a core piece.
The 110% Store Credit Strategy
Instead of offering full cash refunds, offer 110% store credit. A $50 return becomes $55 in store credit. The extra 10% costs you roughly $5 but keeps the entire purchase inside your store.
Customers who receive store credit browse and shop right away. They often spend more than the credit amount. Frame it like a reward. "Get a 10% bonus when you choose store credit." This is not a penalty for returning. It is an incentive for staying.
The Exchange-First Flow
Make exchanges easier than refunds. Show recommended products during the return process. "Looking for something different? Here are our best-sellers in the same category." Growth Suite's Frequently Bought Together and Trending Products features can display on your exchange page to help shoppers find the right replacement.
Send a follow-up email after a return is processed. "Your store credit is ready. Here are items we think you will love." Include product recommendations based on what they returned. Track your return-to-repurchase rate. Most stores do not measure this. The ones that do discover that holiday returns revenue conversion can be a net-positive event. Each return can lead to a new purchase that is bigger than the original.
Key Insight: A customer processing a return is not a lost sale. They are already in your store, already browsing, and ready to spend. Offering 110% store credit instead of a cash refund costs roughly 10% but keeps 100% of the revenue in your store. Customers who choose store credit typically spend more than the credit value. Successful holiday returns revenue conversion turns losses into repeat purchases.
The Post-Christmas Clearance Calendar: Tiered, Not Flat
Do not run "50% off everything" on December 26. That destroys your margins on products that would sell at smaller discounts. A smart post christmas clearance strategy shopify merchants use is tiered. Start moderate. Go deeper only on slow movers. Save the biggest cuts for the final phase.
Phase 1 (Dec 26-28): Moderate Entry
Start with 20% off sitewide. Give seasonal items like holiday prints and Christmas packaging a 30% markdown. Keep best-sellers and new arrivals at full price. They sell without deep discounts.
Your boxing day revenue ecommerce launch message should be: "Our biggest after-Christmas event starts now." This is your post christmas clearance strategy shopify entry point. Moderate discounts first. Deeper cuts come later.
Phase 2 (Dec 29-31): Deeper on Slow Movers
Increase to 30% off on slow-moving inventory. Push seasonal items to 40-50% off. Use "last chance" messaging on items with limited stock. Keep your core catalog at standard or Phase 1 pricing.
The goal of this post christmas clearance strategy shopify phase is to move what did not sell in Phase 1 without giving away margin on everything else.
Phase 3 (Jan 1-3): Final Clearance
Go to 50% or more on remaining seasonal inventory. Bundle slow movers together. "3 for $X" or "Buy 2, get 1 free" on clearance items. This is your inventory cleanup phase. The goal is zero seasonal overstock. Your post christmas clearance strategy shopify ends here with clean shelves and protected average margins.
| Phase | Dates | Sitewide | Seasonal Items | Slow Movers | Best Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Dec 26-28 | 20% off | 30% off | Standard | Boxing Day launch, moderate |
| Phase 2 | Dec 29-31 | 20% off | 40-50% off | 30% off | Last chance messaging |
| Phase 3 | Jan 1-3 | Standard | 50%+ off | Bundle deals | Final clearance, inventory cleanup |
Warning: Running "50% off everything" on December 26 is a margin disaster. Many shoppers who arrive on Boxing Day would buy at 20-30% off. Start with moderate discounts and increase over the week. Phase your clearance: 20% sitewide on Dec 26, increase on slow movers Dec 29, and save the deepest cuts for January inventory cleanup. Tiered clearance protects your boxing day revenue ecommerce margins while still moving seasonal stock.
How Growth Suite Powers Your Post-Christmas Revenue
Growth Suite gives you four tools to capture your post christmas sales strategy shopify revenue window. Each one serves a different purpose in the December 26 to January 3 period.
Trigger Campaigns for Self-Gifters and Browsers
Growth Suite tracks visitor behavior during the post-Christmas window. Self-gifters who browse, add items, and then pause get a personalized, time-limited offer. Walk-away visitors see the discount. Dedicated buyers who are ready to buy pay full price.
Set the discount range at 10-15% for post-Christmas. These shoppers need a small nudge, not a deep cut. This protects your boxing day revenue ecommerce margins. The self gifting marketing strategy holiday works because offers go only to visitors who need them. Dedicated buyers pay full price.
Scheduled Campaigns for Clearance
Create a post-Christmas Scheduled Campaign from December 26 to January 3. Add tiered storewide discounts. "Spend $50 for 20% off. Spend $100 for 25% off. Spend $150 for 30% off." The countdown timer creates genuine urgency tied to your clearance end date. Each discount code is unique, single-use, and deleted when the timer expires. No code sharing. No abuse.
Product Deals for Algorithmic Clearance
Select your clearance products and let Growth Suite rotate them. Only 6 products are on active sale at any moment. When one deal expires, the next one starts. This creates discovery and urgency without flooding your entire store with discounts. Native price changes sync with Google Shopping and Meta ads. Your post christmas sales strategy shopify clearance prices show up where shoppers search.
Price Editor for Bulk Changes
Adjust prices across all clearance products in one click. When clearance ends, one-click rollback restores original prices right away. No manual changes on 50+ products. No forgetting to revert after the campaign. This is essential for a clean post christmas sales strategy shopify campaign that ends as smoothly as it starts.
Capture the Post-Christmas Revenue Window Most Stores Miss
Growth Suite helps you turn the December 26-January 1 window into your second-biggest revenue week. Trigger Campaigns convert self-gifters with personalized offers. Scheduled Campaigns with tiered discounts power your clearance. Product Deals rotate sale items to create urgency. Price Editor handles bulk price changes with one-click rollback. Stop leaving post christmas sales strategy shopify revenue on the table.
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Muhammed Tüfekyapan
Founder of Growth Suite
Muhammed Tüfekyapan is a growth marketing expert and the founder of Growth Suite, an AI-powered Shopify app trusted by over 300 stores across 40+ countries. With a career in data-driven e-commerce optimization that began in 2012, he has established himself as a leading authority in the field.
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