This holiday season, U.S. retail sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 (excluding automotive) are forecast to increase 3.7% from last year, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, the marketing intelligence firm of Mastercard, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment.
“It’s going to be a solid holiday season,” said Steve Sadove, a senior advisor for Mastercard and former CEO and Chairman of Saks Inc. in a briefing. “The consumer’s going to be very selective, they’ve got a lot of choices; [the season is] going to be promotional, but consumers are [financially] healthy right now and they’re spending.
