Holiday sales growth expected to slow: NRF study
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Holiday sales are expected to rise,  though at a slower rate than last year as consumers fret about  the declining housing market, according to a National Retail  Federation economic forecast on Tuesday.
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hoAs the holiday season wound down, U.S. residents kept on shopping significantly more than they did in 2006, particularly on the day after Christmas, but they also reported being less satisfied with e-tailers, according to a pair of studies.Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 27 -- the first 57 days of the holiday season -- U.S. shoppers spent almost $28 billion in online retail purchases, up 19 percent compared with the same period in 2006, according to comScore.Shoppers spent $545 million on Dec. 26, more than doubling the spending on that day in 2006, as they took advantage of late-season offers and discounts, according to comScore.Still, it looks like online spending growth for the 2007 holiday season will fail to meet comScore&#39;s 20 percent forecast, and fall way below the 26 percent growth registered during this period in 2006.comScore chalks up the smaller-than-expected growth to several factors, including warm weather in early November and various economic challenges this year, including higher gas prices, the real estate crunch, and a &quot;jittery&quot; stock market, the company said Sunday.Another important metric that dropped this holiday season compared with 2006&#39;s was customer satisfaction, according to ForeSee Results, a provider of online customer-satisfaction measurement services.A survey of more than 11,000 shoppers revealed that, on a 100-point scale, customer satisfaction with the largest 40 e-tailers dropped, in aggregate, to 74 points, down 1.3 points from the 2006 holiday season, according to ForeSee. It conducted the survey in conjunction with FGI Research using the methodology of the University of Michigan&#8217;s American Customer Satisfaction Index.Still, the spending growth in online shopping this holiday season, even at 19 percent, would greatly outpace the growth of overall U.S. retail holiday spending, forecast at 4 percent by the National Retail Federation.That 4 percent growth rate -- which would put 2007 holiday season retail spending in the United States at almost $475 billion -- would fall below the 10-year average of 4.8 percent and be the slowest since 2002, according to the National Retail Federation.
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US economic growth should slow over the coming year as consumers cut back on spending but improved business confidence should help beef up hiring, a wide-ranging survey of forecasters found.
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Investor's Business Daily - Brisk buying of video games and DVDs gave online retailers a leg up this holiday. But while they didn't end up with the lump of coal that offline stores got, their sales growth likely fell short of last year.
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Shoe sales have jumped this holiday season, but they haven't been enough to kick up holiday sales growth overall, according to a MasterCard Advisors survey.
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Retailers may be in for a blue  Christmas this year as worries about soaring energy prices,  consumers' cost-consciousness and a warmer December than last  year make for lackluster holiday sales, retail analysts said.
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Holiday sales are expected to rise at their slowest pace in five years as the weak housing market and a credit crunch temper consumer spending, the National Retail Federation said on Thursday.
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Retail sales growth in the week after Thanksgiving fell to 3.1 percent, the slowest rate in four years, as consumers delayed holiday purchases to wait for discounts.
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Growth in U.S. consumer electronics sales is likely to slow in 2008 but still come in at 6.1 percent, fueled by strong demand for products like televisions and personal audio devices, an industry trade group said on Monday.
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Business & money: Like-for-like sales grow at slowest rate for a year as consumers rein in spending.
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US consumers are expected to spend more on home-related merchandise and consumer electronics, this holiday season, while new fashions should keep clothing flying off the rack, according to a survey released on Wednesday.
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Growth in U.S. consumer electronics  sales is likely to slow in 2008 but still come in at 6.1  percent, fueled by strong demand for products like televisions  and personal audio devices, an industry trade group said on  Monday.
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US economic growth should slow over the coming year as consumers cut back on spending, but improved business confidence should help hiring, a wide-ranging survey of forecasters found.
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U.S. specialty apparel retailers have experienced slow sales growth over the first 20 days of the holiday shopping season, according to data released on Sunday by SpendingPulse.
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TRENTON, N.J. -- Toy sales dipped 1.4 percent during the crucial holiday period at struggling Toys ''R" Us Inc., which saw tiny decreases in US, international, and Internet revenues, but may have gained market share because of price discounts and selection.
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Holiday e-commerce sales were robust, but, with sales growth of 19 percent, showed their slowest-ever growth, industry analysts projected.
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Retail spending by Americans was little changed in December as consumers anxious over the housing slump and high oil prices held back on purchases during the crucial holiday season, a report released on Friday showed.