WASHINGTON, D.C. — Retail sales during the 2020 holiday season — the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 — grew 8.3 percent year-over-year and beat expectations, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The association had predicted holiday shopping sales to grow between 3.6 and 5.2 percent year-over-year.
“Despite unprecedented challenges, consumers and retailers demonstrated incredible resilience this holiday season,” says NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. “Faced with rising transmission of the virus, state restrictions on retailers and heightened political and economic uncertainty, consumers chose to spend on gifts that lifted the spirits of their families and friends and provided a sense of normalcy given the challenging year.”
In a separate report released Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that retail sales in December totaled $540.9 billion, a 0.7 percent decrease from November 2020’s revised level of $544.6 billion.