UK shoppers see sales fatigue

After a month of promotions, discounting, advertising and Christmas consumerism, the UK's shoppers may be seeing signs of sales fatigue.

A million fewer shoppers turned out on Boxing Day compared to last year as Britain began to tire of heavy promotions it has seen since November.

Around seven million shoppers hit our high streets, shopping centres and retail parks on Friday, according to Mail on Sunday's financial figures.

That was 12.4 percent down on the same day last year as shoppers suffered 'sales fatigue', said market research firm Springboard.

But the number shopping online on Boxing Day jumped 47 percent on last year, said Postcode Anywhere, which tracks customer addresses.

Experts warn Boxing Day is losing relevance as retailers focus on Black Friday in late November, pulling spending forward. In the US, Black Friday lures shoppers out the day after Thanksgiving.

After a rush on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, shoppers then took a day off.

However, numbers visiting all retail locations from November 24 to Boxing Day rose 4.8 percent. Shopping centres and retail parks led the increase.