U.S. retail sales rose an estimated 3.6% this holiday season from a year earlier, helped by online shopping and purchases of electronics, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse.
The spending estimate for Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 excludes automotive and gasoline sales. SpendingPulse measures retail sales across all payment forms, including cash and checks. The firm didn’t disclose dollar spending totals. That figure includes traditional holiday-shopping destinations such as apparel and electronics chains as well as outlets such as grocery stores, furniture sellers and drugstores.
A jump in purchases the week before Christmas helped year-over-year electronics sales increase 6% since Black Friday on Nov. 27, and 5.9% for the holiday season starting Nov. 1, SpendingPulse said. More shopping occurred online, with sales rising 18% from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24. Overall online sales climbed 15.5% during the Nov. 1-Dec. 24 period.
Sales of women’s apparel slid 0.3%from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 compared with a year earlier as gains since Nov. 27 helped mitigate the drop. Footwear sales increased 5% and men's apparel was up 3.9%. Overall specialty apparel dipped 0.4%.
Jewelry sales rose 5.6% for November and December, while luxury retail excluding jewelry edged up 0.8%, SpendingPulse said.
SpendingPulse doesn’t provide forecasts for holiday sales.
