Shoppers, buoyed by low unemployment and a slight uptick in wages, should make this a jolly holiday season for retailers, an industry trade group predicted Wednesday.
The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, forecasts that sales in the last two months of this year should rise between 4.3 to 4.8 percent as compared to the holiday period in 2017.
Not counting purchases of cars, gas, or meals at restaurants, shoppers are expected to spend between roughly $717 billion and $720.89 billion in sales this year. The sales increase also tops the 3.9 percent average annual uptick the industry has seen in the last five years.
The forecast underscores the message from many retailers that the brisker sales they’ve reported in recent quarters are not a fluke. Shoppers spent $687.87 billion on purchases during last year’s holiday season, a 5.3 percent bounce over the previous year, and the biggest bump since 2010.
“Our forecast reflects the overall strength of the industry,” Matthew Shay, NRF’s president and CEO said in a statement. “Thanks to a healthy economy and strong consumer confidence, we believe that this holiday season will continue to reflect the growth we’ve seen over the past year. While there is concern about the impacts of an escalating trade war, we are optimistic that the pace of economic activity will continue to increase through the end of the year.”
National unemployment stands at 3.9 percent, close to an 18-year low. “The combination of increased job creation, improved wages, tamed inflation and an increase in net worth all provide the capacity and the confidence to spend,” said Jack Kleinhenz, NRF’s chief economist.
NRF expects that overall retail sales for this year to be at least 4.5 percent higher than 2017.