Consumers were confirmed shopping earlier this holiday season, as traffic trends declined 27% in the weeks before the holidays.
US retail sales for the holiday period of November and December 2020 increased 4.1% from 2019. The total retail sales in the same period reached $876 billion excluding automobiles and gas. Major shopping events like Black Friday and Super Saturday experienced the biggest drops in traffic YoY.
However, the highest-ranking traffic days were Black Friday and Super Saturday, the Day after Christmas 12 December and 28 December. Apparel and accessories merchandise categories experienced a 13.5% drop in sales. Also, department store sales for October, November, and December were nearly down 19%.
Online sales for the three months of October through December increased 24.1%. Non-store (ecommerce, mobile devices, catalogue) sales increased 18.4%. Retailers like Nike saw a 9% jump in sales for the quarter.
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