The 2021 holiday season appears to be on track to exceed the National Retail Federation’s (NRF’s) forecast for record spending despite supply chain disruptions, inflation and challenges like the new Covid-19 omicron variant, NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said.
Kleinhenz said, “Now that we’re in December, the holiday shopping season is nearing the finish line. The question is how have factors ranging from economic indicators to the twists of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the season so far, and what role will they play in the weeks that remain? There’s no crystal ball to provide a definitive answer, but the latest data is encouraging and provides useful insights. In fact, the season could turn out even better than we expected. Consumers and retailers have both revised their playbooks and broken with previous traditions. With the momentum we’ve seen so far likely to continue, it seems probable that we will exceed our initial projection.”
Kleinhenz’s remarks came in the December issue of NRF’s Monthly Economic Review, which said holiday retail sales during November and December could now grow as much as 11.5% over the same period in 2020. That would exceed NRF’s forecast that holiday sales would be up between 8.5% and 10.5%.
The initial forecast was made in late October, when late-summer growth in Covid-19 cases was still a key factor and before October retail sales data was released. October retail sales as calculated by NRF were up 10.5% year-over-year as many consumers started holiday shopping earlier than ever this year because of concerns over supply chain disruptions.