Dive Summary:
- Reuters reports that the 2012 holiday season may have been the worst for retailers since the financial crisis in 2008 as MasterCard Advisors Spending Pulse reported a 0.7% increase in holiday-related sales from October 28 through December 24, a poor state compared to 2% in 2011.
- The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index also reported a 0.7% increase, using data based on sales (not profits).
- Online sales, meanwhile, showed strong growth on Christmas Day, going up 22.4% (topping a 16.4% jump in 2011), IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark reported.
From the article:
"...On Christmas Day, online sales jumped 22.4 percent, outpacing the 16.4 percent increase in 2011, according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, which tracks more than 1 million e-commerce transactions a day from 500 U.S. retailers.
Whether online or off, some of the winning retailers were expected to be Wal-Mart, which attracted shoppers with early deals on the night of Thanksgiving and kept its focus on value, and apparel chains like Gap Inc, whose bright sweaters were successful, according to analysts. ..."
