Even as shoppers grappled with higher prices, product shortages and a raging new COVID-19 variant in the last few weeks of the holiday shopping season, sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years.
Holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years, even as shoppers grappled with higher prices, product shortages and a raging new COVID-19 variant in the last few weeks of the season, according to one spending measure.
After omicron hit, some consumers stayed home and shifted their spending to e-commerce -- but sales stayed strong. "I feel really good about how the season played out,’’ said Steve Sadove, senior adviser to Mastercard and former CEO of Saks Inc. "When people feel a little bit uncomfortable, you'll see a little bit of a pickup in online and a little bit of a slowdown in store performance.
Overall, analysts had expected a strong holiday season, fueled by early shopping that started back in October in anticipation of a product shortage. Consumers were also determined to celebrate the holidays after a muted one a year ago. Still, November saw a slowdown in retail sales, in part because of the early shopping.
The update from the NRF was delivered in early December, right before omicron became a bigger threat in the U.S. and started to disrupt businesses from Broadway theaters to restaurants. But overall store traffic hasn't taken a plunge, though some stores are reporting dips in big city locations. For the week that ended Dec. 18, store traffic was up nearly 20% from a year earlier, though down 23% from the same week in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to Sensormatic Solutions.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Federal program offers cash to cover COVID-19 funeral costsFamilies who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 can apply for reimbursement from the federal government for up to $9,000 to cover the cost of funeral expenses.
Weiterlesen »
A Timely Reminder Of The Different Ways Disabled People Are Processing Covid-19Now is a good time for another recap of disabled people’s main concerns and “takes” on Covid-19.
Weiterlesen »
Omicron keeps some families apart for Christmas; thousands more flights canceled: COVID-19 updatesAmericans across the country celebrated Christmas on Saturday – many with empty chairs at dinner tables – amid mounting concerns from the quickly spreading omicron variant.
Weiterlesen »
COVID-19 test giveaway: How Biden plans to distribute 500M kits for freePresident Joe Biden says the federal government will buy half a billion COVID-19 rapid test kits and distribute them free of charge to people to use at home.
Weiterlesen »
BTS' Suga Tests Positive for Covid-19BTS’ Suga Tests Positive for Covid-19, returning to Korea from the U.S.
Weiterlesen »
France posts new record daily COVID-19 infectionsFrance hit another COVID-19 infection record on Friday, with the daily figure getting close to 100,000, a trend that prompted the government to convene a special meeting on the pandemic on Monday which could trigger new restrictions on movement.
Weiterlesen »