Readers Respond: Holiday sales barometer
A variety of retail analysts anticipated strong sales gains during the holidays. The National Retail Federation expected just under 5% growth while consultants at Deloitte also looked for just over 5%.
But according to a report from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which monitors spending in stores and online via payments, U.S. sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24 rose 5.1% to more than $850 million. This represents the strongest growth in the past 6 years.
Additionally, online sales during the period increased 19.1% compared to the same period a year ago.
In the latest HBSDealer poll question we asked readers: “How would you describe the level of business at your company during the holidays?
Here’s how you responded.
About normal, 31.7%
Slower than normal, 28.9%
Busier than normal, 20%
Much slower than normal, 13.1%
Much busier than normal, 6.2%
But according to a report from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which monitors spending in stores and online via payments, U.S. sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24 rose 5.1% to more than $850 million. This represents the strongest growth in the past 6 years.
Additionally, online sales during the period increased 19.1% compared to the same period a year ago.
In the latest HBSDealer poll question we asked readers: “How would you describe the level of business at your company during the holidays?
Here’s how you responded.
About normal, 31.7%
Slower than normal, 28.9%
Busier than normal, 20%
Much slower than normal, 13.1%
Much busier than normal, 6.2%