Retail sales excluding automotive grew 3.8% for the holiday period (November 1 – December 24), according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment. Ordering goods online, whether shipped or picked up in store, grew faster than transactions completed in-store: online retail sales were up 6.7% and in-store sales grew at a slower 2.9% rate.
Both in-store and online holiday sales grew faster this year than in 2023, when online sales were up 6.3%, 2.2% in stores, and 3.1% overall (see “Retail Sales Grew Modestly”). By category, restaurant sales grew at the fastest pace, 6.3%, while department store sales grew the slowest, at 1.6%.
Source: ICv2
