Holiday Spending Habits/Holiday Travel

According to the National Retail Federation, retail sales in 2020 were a record $789.4 billion, which represented an unexpected increase of 8.3% over 2019. This figure includes $209 billion of online and non-store sales, which grew 24% year-over-year. Compared to the prior-year holiday season, building materials and garden supply stores grew by 19%, making them a bright spot compared to electronics/appliance stores and clothing stores, which decreased by 14% and 15%, respectively.