Holiday Season Delivers U.S. Retail Its Biggest Sales Bump in Six Years
*By Kristen Lee*
This holiday season was a happy one for U.S. retail, which saw its biggest sales bump in six years, according to MasterCard.
Retail sales, excluding car purchases, rose 5.1 percent year-over-year for the key holiday shopping period between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 to reach more than $850 billion.
As expected, online spending led that surge, with a 19.1 increase in online spending during that same period, according to MasterCard.
But more surprisingly, brick-and-mortar sales also increased 3.3 percent. According to Adobe Analytics, a key trend boosting brick-and-mortar was a 47 percent spike in "Buy Online Pick-up In Store" spending, otherwise known as BOPIS. The rise in BOPIS benefits both consumers and retailers. Retailers save on shipping costs and can pass those savings on to consumers in the form of discounts. Also, when customers comes to stores for pick-up, they are more likely to spend more on impulse purchases there.
More broadly, improved retail sales this year can be attributed to better inventory levels, fewer promotions and greater investments in e-commerce platforms, Elaine Low, a reporter for Investor's Business Daily, told Cheddar Wednesday.
However, the success was not universal.
"What you're seeing really is this further widening gap between the winners and the losers in the space. You have the folks who are really doubling down on ecommerce, who are making investments in their technology platforms, and are really hoping to drive shoppers to buy more even while they are in-store," she said. "And you also have the guys on the other end of the spectrum, who are playing catch up with their e-com investments."
Whether it’s a deepfake video of actor Tom Cruise discovering gum in a lollipop or President Joe Biden discouraging people from voting via telephone, you’ve likely come across a deepfake video, photo or audio recording.
Tensions in the South China Sea, Apple moving to India, and banning TikTok? The podcast ‘Face Off: The U.S. Versus China’ helps explain how we got here.
Cust2Mate is a leading innovator in retail technology, aiming to revolutionize the shopping experience. By implementing smart cart technology, the tech company addresses the issue of theft while enhancing the shopper's journey.
The Biden administration has unveiled a plan, Plan B, to address the student loan debt crisis. It offers to cancel up to $20,000 in interest for borrowers enrolled in income-driven repayment plans. This proposal aims to reset balances for those facing growing debt due to unpaid interest, benefiting low—and middle-income borrowers. An estimated 25 million borrowers are eligible for some form of interest forgiveness.
As we head into the second quarter, there’s an argument in favor of buying Boeing stock. Why? As one expert says, ‘there’s nowhere else to get planes.’
With inflation and prices still on the rise, it might be worth considering a carpool app. One of them, Singapore-based Ryde, just went public in the U.S.
