Survey: Post-holiday shopping looks strong

Austin, Texas - A majority of consumers (79%) plan to shop the end-of-year sales after the holidays are over. In addition, a new survey from RetailMeNot and The Omnibus Company shows that nearly half of consumers (42%) report that they typically end up returning at least some gifts they receive for the holidays.



Parents are more likely than those without kids (54% vs. 37%) to end up returning at least some winter holiday gifts, while 18-34-year-olds are nearly three times more likely than those ages 35 and up (11% compared to 4%) to return 25% or more of the gifts they receive for the winter holidays.



Determined to get what they want, consumers report that they are more likely to return an unwanted holiday gift (35%) than to keep it (27%), re-gift it (21%) or donate it (13%). Compared to last year, consumers report that they are more likely to return (35% vs. 31%) or re-gift (21% compared to 17%) unwanted presents this year.



More than one in three (35%) consumers surveyed have purchased a gift for themselves because no one got it for them for the holidays, and 64% of consumers planning to shop post-holiday sales plan to buy items for themselves during this time. According to the survey, it is a less popular time to shop for others, such as significant others (42%) or relatives (29%). It is more common for respondents that make more than $50,000 a year than those who make less than that (83% compared to 76%) to plan to shop end-of-year sales. Females are more likely than males (54% compared to 47%) to plan to shop for themselves during end-of-year sales.



Nearly nine-in-10 (89%) respondents indicated that they have received a gift card as a winter holiday present and about two in three (67%) consumers say they are most likely to use a gift card they were given for the holidays less than a month after receiving it. In addition to shopping for themselves, some consumers even wait until post-holiday sales to purchase gifts for others. Three-in-10 (30%) holiday gift-givers report having purchased a present after the holidays were over for someone they knew they wouldn't see until afterwards.