Shopping street in San Francisco on Christmas Eve
In the USA, despite the corona crisis, according to a study, retail sales increased in the Christmas business. A survey presented on Saturday by the credit card provider Mastercard showed an increase of three percent – thanks in particular to booming online sales. However, the Christmas business in the world's largest economy started several weeks earlier this year, on October 11th.
Many retailers like Walmart and Target moved forward to make up for lost revenue during the spring lockdown weeks. “This Christmas business was stronger than many predicted,” Mastercard expert Steve Sadove told Reuters. More than ever, this was due to the triumph of online shopping.
E-commerce sales shot up 49 percent, according to the data. Online retail thus contributed almost a fifth to the Christmas business. The trend towards digital shopping will also intensify in 2021, said Sadove. Smaller retailers would also equip themselves accordingly.
The “Mastercard SpendingPulse” survey is based on sales recorded through the Group's payment network. When it comes to cash purchases, the experts use estimates. Car purchases are not recorded.
According to statistics, offers for home furnishings were particularly in demand this year. Here the revenues went up by more than 16 percent. There was an increase of six percent in the area of electronic devices and household appliances. The growth is also due to the fact that many consumers spent less money on restaurants, travel and leisure activities in the corona year.
