MasterCard Advisors: Cheaper gas means more presents

Purchase, N.Y. – A decline in the price of gasoline may be leading to a larger haul for many many people on Christmas morning. According to the latest MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, total retail sales without the automotive and gasoline sectors were up 3.6% in November 2014, reinforcing the dramatic decline in gasoline prices.



Total retail sales (all sectors) increased by 2.3%, led by the lodging, hardware and restaurant sectors. Looking specifically at the start of the holiday season, total Thanksgiving weekend retail sales increased 0.9% from 2013. With this initial performance, SpendingPulse forecasts total retail sales to grow 5.5% for the entire holiday season.



Historically, Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be the biggest shopping days of the holiday season for certain industries, but not every sector sees its greatest uptick that week. In fact, the final days before Christmas, including “Super Saturday,” the last Saturday before the holiday – are expected to result in the greatest activity.



“These numbers reinforce that we can expect the holiday shopping season will be lengthened straight through the month, as opposed to focusing solely on one ‘make or break’ day,” said Sarah Quinlan, senior VP at MasterCard Advisors. “Consumers continue to focus on experiences like dining out, going to the theatre and traveling. As they round out their lists, we expect them to continue to look for the right deals, combined with a more personalized experiential touch.”



MasterCard SpendingPulse reports on national retail sales and is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, coupled with estimates for all other payment forms, including cash and check.