U.S. retail sales continue to heat up, with June marking the ninth consecutive month of total retail sales growth. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse*, U.S. retail sales, excluding automotive and gasoline, increased 11.0 percent year-over-year in June and increased 10.4 percent compared to June 2019.

E-commerce growth continued to hold steady at 8.3 percent against June 2020 and 95.0 percent against June 2019, reflecting the ongoing shift to digital, driven by the pandemic.

Specifically, sales growth for Restaurants was 55.1 percent against June 2020 and 16.8 percent against June 2019. Department Stores jumped 67.4 percent against June 2020 and 11.8 percent against June 2019. Apparel gained 62.9.1 percent against June 2020 and 12.7 percent against June 2019.

The Furniture & Furnishings sector experienced its first month of negative comps against June 2020 growth with a decline of 5.3 percent compared to last year’s strong sales, when consumers were working on home projects during the height of the pandemic, but sales remain elevated for the sector overall at 16.6 percent against June 2019.


*Mastercard SpendingPulse measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment.
Photo courtesy Mastercard