The National Retail Federation (NRF) yesterday predicted that end-of-year holiday sales between November and December will "increase between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent over 2018 to a total of between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion." Over the past five years, holiday sales increases have averaged 3.7 percent; last year, NRF notes, holiday sales were up just 2.1 percent, which was attributed to "a government shutdown, stock market volatility, tariffs and other issues."
NRF also predicted that online and other non-store sales will "increase between 11 percent and 14 percent to between $162.6 billion and $166.9 billion, up from $146.5 billion last year."
NRF also predicted that online and other non-store sales will "increase between 11 percent and 14 percent to between $162.6 billion and $166.9 billion, up from $146.5 billion last year."
- KC's View:
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My crack team of prognosticators (actually, just the dog, to whom I talk a lot while going for long strolls) predicts that in-store sales increases will be lower than NRF is predicting, and online sales increases will be higher.
Let's see who ends up being right. NRF, or the dog.
