The first sales forecasts for Holiday retail sales are out, with Deloitte predicting 4% to 6% top line growth this year and Mastercard SpendingPulse calling for a 7.1% improvement. Mastercard’s forecast is for the traditional season, kicking off Nov. 1 and lasting through Christmas Eve, while Deloitte’s definition adds Jan. sales. For the extended season, total adjusted retail sales from Nov. ‘21 through Jan. ‘22 were up 15.1% year-over-year to $1.39 trillion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Both forecasts break out e-commerce sales from traditional brick-and-mortar retail, with Mastercard expecting a ... Log in to view full article.