The 26th of December is likely to be yet another important day for safe shopping online this year, with analysts suggesting that e-commerce spending during this 24-hour period will easily eclipse the total outlay seen on Black Friday this year.

This is obviously good news for web-based retailers, although the study from ShopperTrak does suggest that bricks-and-mortar firms will suffer as a result.

In the worst-case scenario, it may be the case that high street visits drop by 10 per cent this year compared with Boxing Day of 2017, according to Internet Retailing.

Consumers in the UK are far more comfortable with the idea of staying at home, finishing up the last of the turkey and browsing the web to look for bargains on their smartphones as opposed to actually heading out to face the crowds and cope with the cold at real-world stores.

Report spokesperson Steve Richardson told Internet Retailing that the days between December 25th and the start of the New Year are once again going to see sales skyrocket, especially online. In 2017 an amazing £12 billion was taken in over this span of time, with that amount likely to be higher this year.

Many online retailers are even getting ready to start offering Boxing Day discounts on the stroke of midnight, so any night owls who are still managing to keep their eyes open after the festivities of December 25th will be able to enjoy significant savings just by staying up late.

As Boxing Day starts to eclipse Black Friday for retail activity in the UK, it is certain that retailers will continue to target it with offers in greater numbers. Whether this will have the effect of reshuffling festive spending even more remains to be seen.