Monthly spending figures from MasterCard Inc. indicate this year’s late Easter holiday helped boost apparel and luxury goods sales in April although electronics and appliance sales lagged.
MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse data show that clothing sales rose more than 10 percent compared with April 2010, including a greater than 12 percent rise in men’s clothing and 7 percent hike in sales of women’s apparel.
SpendingPulse tracks spending across all forms of payments including cash.
Sales of luxury goods rose nearly 10 percent during the month, but sales of electronics and appliances fell almost 2 percent. Online sales jumped just over 19 percent, the sixth straight month of double-digit improvement.
“All apparel sectors were up from March, primarily because of Easter,” said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse.
McNamara said it’s more accurate to view retail sales in March and April combined. By that measure, clothing sales rose 7 percent from the same period a year ago. Easter fell on April 24, as opposed to April 4 last year, so many shoppers delayed their holiday-related spending from March to April.
Overall, “discretionary dollars for the most part seem to be holding up,” McNamara said. “But as you move down the price spectrum, you see more pressure because of gas prices.”
