Forrester: Online holiday sales to increase 13%

U.S. online holiday spending will reach $112 billion in 2016, growing 13% over 2015.



That is according to Forrester’s Holiday Retail Sales Forecast, which said that while online sales are 12% of annual retail sales, they jump to 16% of total holiday sales during the November and December months.



Forrester said that cooler winter weather will help bolster holiday sales. Record-high temperatures in parts of the Northeast last Christmas cut into seasonal product sales, such as winter apparel, leading to a lackluster overall holiday performance. The expectation of more average December temperatures for 2016 will lift holiday spending, online and off, especially on clothing and footwear products, over last year.



Economic indicators also point to an optimistic holiday shopping season for retailers, according to the Forrester report. Consumer economic confidence is stable, unemployment is low, gas prices are still cheap, and online retail sales from the first quarter through the third quarter of 2016 grew faster than they did last year, according to the report.