A Strong Holiday Shopping Season
By: Big 2 News Staff
Updated: December 23, 2011
The holiday shopping season is wrapping up to be bigger than
anyone expected. Now, retailers are holding their breath and hoping
consumers will keep spending in the final days before Christmas.
(Copyright: Associated Press)
Sales from November
through Saturday rose 2.5 percent, compared with the same period a year
ago, according to research firm ShopperTrak, which did not give a dollar
figure. Online, shoppers have spent almost $32 billion
online for the holiday season so far, a 15 percent increase from a year
ago, according to comScore, which tracks Web use.
The increases are good
news for retailers, but they're not out of the woods just yet. The
final week before Christmas, which includes four of the top 10 holiday
shopping days, can account for up to 20 percent of sales
for the season.
"I don't think anybody
has claimed victory yet, but very few are writing concession speeches,"
said Arnold Aronson, managing director of retail strategies at
consulting firm Kurt Salmon. "This Christmas will not be
a blowout, but despite all the nervousness about the economy, it will be
a decent Christmas."
This is the most
important time of year for retailers. They can make between 25 and 40
percent of their annual sales in the last two months of the year. And
this holiday season, stores are expected to ring up $469.1
billion during the holiday season, according to the National Retail
Federation, nation's largest retail trade group.
(Copyright: Associated Press)
