The gradual return of hectic holiday shopping

With the closing of the calendar year and the onslaught of cold weather come the time-honored and beloved winter holidays. In turn, the holidays bring with them the frantic period of shopping that usually falls between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, when retailers are swarmed by customers seeking early bargains and last-minute gifts. The National Retail Federation predicts this year will see an even bigger holiday shopping season, with holiday 2015 retail sales predicted to grow by 3.7 percent in November and December compared to the 2014 holiday season. Here’s a closer look at some of the NRF forecast:

Holiday sales expected to hit total of $630.7 billion in 2015

Compared to the 10-year average increase of 2.5 percent, the 3.7 percent figure indicates a spike in holiday retail sales from 2014. According to the NRF, holiday retail sales in 2015 will account for roughly 19 percent of the retail industry’s $3.2 trillion in annual sales. Holiday sales in 2014 were 4.1 percent higher than in 2013, which experts say was impacted by the threat of a government shutdown and generally lower consumer confidence.

Online sales during holiday season predicted to reach total of $105 billion

It’s little shock that online sales make up such a large portion of the holiday sales spike; the convenience of browsing and ordering merchandise for delivery without leaving home has many modern consumers doing all of their shopping on the web. An easy-to-navigate online ordering platform is essential for retailers hoping to capture some of these sales. Read our feature on garden retail delivery and online ordering on page 78 for more on this practice.

Retailers to hire more than 700,000 seasonal employees

The NRF predicts seasonal hires for November and December of this year will range between 700,000 and 750,000 workers to help cope with the weeks of high-volume shopping. This is comparable to last year’s seasonal labor figure of about 714,000 hires. These numbers may suggest the economy is on a recovery track.