Coupons, offers may keep etailers seeing green

With the busy holiday season past and the big return season in full swing, etailers may not be feeling the pinch yet. But that could happen soon. According to a recent study from CoinStar and Kelton Research, many consumers will be feeling the post-holiday pinch in the coming weeks and will be cutting back on many luxuries.

by Kristina Knight

Offering consumers discounts, coupons or dollar off deals, then, could help etailers through the post-holiday crunch.

According to the survey about 60% of consumers begin to feel the blues after the holidays have passed because of high credit card bills and a bit of over-indulgence throughout the holidays. American consumers are the most likely (27%) to feel down after the holidays.

How will consumers get back on track? Most (43%) say they will cut back on luxuries like eating out or going out with friends. About 25% say they will look for extra cash from their change jars to help make ends meet.

"There's about $90 in forgotten change sitting in the average American household, money that can easily be used to supplement holiday budgets," said Alex Camara, senior vice president and general manager of worldwide coin at Coinstar, Inc.

After the change jars are raided, the couch cushions are lifted and all of the change rescued from between the car seats, coupons in the Sunday supplements are likely to catch consumers eye. Offering a discount coupon from an online coupon hub is also likely to be a new stop for users looking to save a little cash.