The week following Cyber Week, December 3 through December 9, took a deeper dive in 2017, according to The NPD Group, with dollar sales in the first full week of December 2017 registering 7 percent lower than during the same week in 2016.
Cumulatively, U.S. retail sales for the first six weeks of the 2017 holiday shopping season, which kicked off October 2017, are even with last year across NPD’s Holiday Shopping Bag key general merchandise categories. So far, prestige beauty and small home appliances are the leaders of the Holiday shopping season, each with cumulative dollar sales gains just shy of 10 percent.
Prestige Beauty was the leader this week, continuing to show growth while all other segments tracked saw some level of declines, as steep as low-double digits. Top performing categories included:
- Stereo Headphones
- Video Cards
- Home Environment Appliances (driven by Specialty Cleaning)
- Facial Skincare
- Home Automation (driven by Security & Monitoring, Power & Sensors)
“The season has been a mess of inconsistencies, from seemingly universal apparel promotions and novelties like ‘ugly’ sweaters, faux fur and hats with earflaps emerging as the season’s standouts, to an implied focus on self-gifting with make-up, skin care, and innovative products for the home leading Holiday 2017,” said NPD’s Chief Industry Advisor, Marshal Cohen. “The season’s crunch-time will likely bring some lift in sales, especially as consumers take advantage of the extra full weekend of shopping before Christmas for last-minute gifts.”
NPD expects to release full holiday sales figures mid-January.
