SpendingPulse data suggests U.S. retailers were on Santa’s “nice list” this year

PURCHASE, N.Y. Yes, Virginia; there really was a Santa Claus this year.

At least that’s the story U.S. retailers were getting from early results from MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse data, which showed a 3.6% bump in holiday sales this year.

The data, which excludes car and gasoline sales, measured retail sales across all forms of payment. According to SpendingPulse, the season got a boost from online shoppers and a rise in electronics purchases this year.

Important to note, momentum continued through the final week of the shopping season, even as a massive blizzard across much of the country threw a monkey wrench at retailers on Power Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, and an even more critical day for retailers than Black Friday. Clearly, the cyberpurchasing made up some of the difference, as despite the massive storm, electronics sales rose 6% in the final week of the season, according to SpendingPulse.

The SpendingPulse data is a bright spot amid other holiday spending reports and prognostications. The National Retail Federation had predicted spending to drop 1% this season. Meanwhile, the International Council of Shopping Centers called for a 2% increase in same-store sales this season.