Mastercard: Total Jewelry Sales up 1.8%; Online Sales Grow 8.8%

(IDEX Online) - Total U.S. jewelry sales increased 1.8 percent over the holiday shopping period, according to figures from Mastercard SpendingPulse. Online jewelry sales grew by 8.8 percent from November 1-December 24.

Overall, U.S. retail sales grew 3.4 percent (excluding auto sales) this holiday season, with online sales up 18.8 percent compared to 2018. 

"E-commerce sales hit a record high this year with more people doing their holiday shopping online," said Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard and former CEO and chairman of Saks Incorporated. "Due to a later than usual Thanksgiving holiday, we saw retailers offering omnichannel sales earlier in the season, meeting consumers' demand for the best deals across all channels and devices."

Overall, holiday e-commerce sales made up 14.6 percent of total retail.

Department stores saw overall sales decline 1.8 percent and online sales growth of 6.9 percent, emphasizing the importance of omnichannel offerings.

Black Friday saw 15.4 percent of total online spend with Cyber Monday pulling ahead with 24.5 percent of spending.

Mastercard SpendingPulse provides insights into overall retail spending trends across all payment types, including cash and check.