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2018 holiday wrap-up—U.S. retail sales saw strongest growth in 6 years

by | Jan 7, 2019 | Public Relations

A robust shopping season from before Thanksgiving through Christmas has given retailers much to cheer about this year. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which provides insights into overall retail spending trends across all payment types, holiday sales increased 5.1 percent to more than $850 billion this year—the strongest growth in the last six years. Online shopping also saw large gains of 19.1 percent compared to 2017.

“From shopping aisles to online carts, consumer confidence translated into holiday cheer for retail,” said Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard and former CEO and Chairman of Saks Incorporated, in a news release. “By combining the right inventory with the right mix of online versus in-store, many retailers were able to give consumers what they wanted via the right shopping channels.”

The report details holiday shopping from November 1 through December 24. Key findings of the report indicate that despite weather challenges, this was a winning holiday season for retail overall—but the story was different category by category:

Total apparel had a strong season

This category had a growth rate of 7.9 percent compared to 2017, recording the best growth rate since 2010. The category followed through on a strong momentum that started during the back-to-school season and accelerated through fall right up to Christmas.

Home improvement spending continued to surge across the U.S.

Spending during the holiday season was up 9.0 percent. This trend started before the holiday season and helped the sector power through to a strong finish.

Department stores finished the season with a 1.3 percent decline from 2017

This follows two years with growth below 2 percent, some of which can be attributed to store closings. However, the online sales growth for department stores indicated a more positive story, with growth of 10.2 percent.

Electronics and appliances were down 0.7 percent

The home furniture and furnishings category grew 2.3 percent.

Poor weather did pose an issue during some primetime shopping periods. This included cold weather on Black Friday morning on the East Coast and wet weather conditions the weekend of December 15-16, on both the East and West coasts. Conditions were also less than ideal on Friday, December 21, in the East, with storms that impacted the final run of the season.

Mastercard SpendingPulse reports on national retail sales across all payment types in select markets around the world. The findings are based on aggregate sales activity in the Mastercard payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for certain other payment forms, such as cash and check.

Richard Carufel
Richard Carufel is editor of Bulldog Reporter and the Daily ’Dog, one of the web’s leading sources of PR and marketing communications news and opinions. He has been reporting on the PR and communications industry for over 17 years, and has interviewed hundreds of journalists and PR industry leaders. Reach him at richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com; @BulldogReporter

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