Purchase, N.Y.—Jewelry sales enjoyed solid growth despite a “mild start” this holiday season, rising 8.4 percent, MasterCard Advisors’ latest SpendingPulse report shows.The report, a macroeconomic survey of national retail and services based on sales activity in the MasterCard network, tracked spending between Nov. 5 and Dec. 24. Overall, the data showed season-over-season holiday sales growth of 5.5 percent ex-auto, as consumer spending continued to recover from the downturn. The report also notes that the holiday season started earlier this year, with consumers out and spending as early as the second week of November.“If last year’s holiday story was about gaining some stability, this year’s is about getting back to growth,” Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for SpendingPulse, said. “The 2010 holiday period is categorized by strong year-over-year growth in apparel and continued strength in e-commerce. We also saw a noticeable return in spending in larger ticket items, as exemplified by the solid growth in jewelry, luxury and even the furniture category.”Online sales continued to post robust growth, with seasonal sales up 15.4 percent. In product categories, apparel was a big winner, rising 11.2 percent overall. Menswear recorded sales growth of 10.5 percent year over year, while women’s apparel grew by 5.6 percent.Luxury excluding jewelry also grew during the holiday season, ending the season with sales up 6.7 percent. The lagging performer for the holiday season was electronics, according to SpendingPulse. Sales grew only 1.2 percent season over season in this category, a performance that could be attributed to the decline in television prices.
 

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