Boxing Day is one of the biggest trading moments of the year for fashion brands. But unlike Black Friday, where demand is predictable and broad, Boxing Day behaves differently: customers are deal-focused, returns are high, inventory is messy, and competition is fierce.

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As a fashion marketing agency working with leading brands across the UK and US, we’ve seen how smart brands protect margins, maintain ROAS, and avoid being forced into a race-to-the-bottom.

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This playbook breaks down what to run and what to avoid  across Meta and Google to maximise Boxing Day sales while keeping acquisition costs efficient.

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1. The Reality of Boxing Day Behaviour (Why It’s Different from Black Friday)

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Before diving into tactics, understand the mindset:

• Shoppers are deal-driven, but not always urgent - expect lower AOVs.
• Inventory is fragmented; sizes sell out fast.
• Returns spike, especially for apparel.
• Brands with strong merchandising + efficient paid media win.

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This affects how you structure campaigns, budgets, audiences, and messaging.

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2. Meta Ads Strategy: What Fashion Brands Should Run

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Meta behaves differently after Christmas; CPMs drop, but attention is scattered. Your strategy should prioritise speed, relevance, and dynamic product delivery.

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Prioritise “Sale-first” Creative

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Boxing Day shoppers need clarity. Your ad should immediately communicate:

• % off
• Category (dresses, coats, knitwear, etc.)
• USP (free shipping, extended returns)

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Best formats:

• High-velocity video (6–10 seconds)
• Static sale banners
• Collection ads for discovery
• UGC-style “show the product” videos

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Avoid over-produced lifestyle images, they slow down comprehension.

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Lean Into Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs)

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Your biggest winner during Boxing Day will almost always be catalogue-powered ads.

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Why?
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Stock changes every hour. DPAs dynamically update prices, sale labels, and availability.

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Must-haves:

• A clean feed with accurate sale pricing
• Custom labels for discounts (10%, 20%, 40% etc.)
• A “Sale” product set
• A “Last Sizes Left” product set

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DPAs often drive the highest ROAS across Remarketing and Retention audiences.

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Use Broad + ASC for Prospecting

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ASC works exceptionally well during sales periods because:

• Meta has more purchase signals
• People are actively searching for deals
• Broad targeting reduces CPM inflation

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Inside ASC:

• Use sale creatives only
• Enable both Sales & Re-engagement

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Keep creative volume high to avoid fatigue. 6–10 active assets is ideal.

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Retargeting: Keep It Tight

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Remarketing windows should be short. People decide fast during Boxing Day.

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Recommended windows:

• 0–7 days website visitors
• 0–14 days ATC or VC
• CRM upload of 30–180 days purchasers

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Use urgency-led creatives like:
“Sizes Selling Out”
“Final Reductions”
“Boxing Day Only”

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3. Google Ads Strategy for Boxing Day

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Google is intent-rich, which means your campaigns must mirror demand patterns.

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Update All Sale Extensions & Feeds

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Before Boxing Day goes live:

• Update promotion extensions
• Add sale pricing to your product feed
• Ensure price slash is live
• Add custom labels for:
  • Sale
  • Discount tiers
  • Bestsellers
  • High-stock items

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Feed hygiene is EVERYTHING during sale periods.

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Prioritise Performance Max for Scale

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Performance Max dominates Boxing Day performance for most fashion brands.

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Make sure:

• Creative assets highlight Sale messaging
• Audience signals include:
  • Past purchasers
  • High-value customers
  • Top-performing categories
• The product feed is accurate (no mismatched prices)

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If your PMax is split by category, direct budget to high-stock categories.

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Shopping Ads (Standard or PMax Asset Groups)

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If you use Standard Shopping:

• Increase budgets 48 hours before
• Increase bids
• Ensure products are approved and updated

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If using PMax:

• Create dedicated Sale asset groups
• Use “price drop” and “promotion” annotations
• Push bestseller SKUs hard (they convert fastest)

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Branded Search: Keep Spend Sharp

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During Boxing Day:

• Bidding wars increase
• Competitors target your name
• People search for your brand + “sale”

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Mitigation:

• Add “sale” ad copy + extensions
• Use exact match to retain control
• Pause broad match if CPCs spike
• Monitor impression share

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Branded search can be cheap, but on Boxing Day it can become competitive.

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4. Offer, Merchandising & CRO (Often Ignored but Critical)

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Paid ads amplify what’s already working, they don’t fix conversion issues.

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Make Your Sale Landing Page Simple

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Your sale landing page should show:

• Clear discount filter
• Top categories
• Bestsellers above the fold
• Strong sale messaging
• “Only X left” badges if possible

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Prioritise High-Stock SKUs

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Your paid media should push:

• SKUs with 5+ units per size
• Categories with depth
• New-in items that also have reductions

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Empty product sets kill ROAS.

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5. Budgeting for Boxing Day

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Expect a 20–40% increase in spend during:

• Boxing Day
• 27–29 December
• Payday week

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Meta CPMs drop, Google CPCs rise, so balance budgets accordingly.

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6. How We Support Fashion Brands at Adnomics

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As a fashion marketing agency, we partner with apparel brands across the UK, US, and EU to scale profitably through data-led Meta and Google strategies especially during key sales moments like Boxing Day.

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If you want help preparing your Boxing Day playbook, we can audit your Meta or Google account and benchmark you against our best-performing fashion clients.

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