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Mastercard says holiday e-commerce sales enjoy record surge

January 3, 2020

Mastercard released its SpendingPulse report that said that U.S. retail sales grew 3.4% during the holiday season in 2019, with online sales growing almost 19%, compared with year-ago figures. 

The report details holiday shopping from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24th., according to the company. 

"E-commerce sales hit a record high this year with more people doing their holiday shopping online," Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard and the former chairman and CEO of Saks Inc., said in a company release from Mastercard. "Due to a later than usual Thanksgiving holiday, we saw retailers offering omnichannel sales earlier in the season, meeting consumers' demands for the best deals across all channels and devices."

The SpendingPulse report breaks down results in the following categories: 

Apparel saw a 1% year-over-year growth, however, e-commerce sales in the category increased a stronger-than-expected 17%. 

Jewelry rose 1.8% year-over-year, however, online sales in the category rose 8.8%.

Department store sales fell 1.8%, however, online sales rose 6.9% in the category.