Consulting firm Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast indicates that retailers can still expect moderate growth this year.
Deloitte predicts holiday sales will grow 2.3 to 3.3 percent from November through January, slower than last year’s 4.3 percent.
This is evident in the annual predictions of the expenditures that the consumer makes worldwide during the end of the year period. The fourth quarter is traditionally the strongest of all, partly due to the bargain festival Black Friday, Singles Day, Christmas and – in the Netherlands and Belgium – Sinterklaas.
The forecast is for total revenue to be between $1.58 and $1.59 trillion, including both online and offline revenue.
Looking at digital sales, the picture is slightly different. Deloitte expects e-commerce to grow by seven to nine percent to $289 to $294 billion worldwide.
The consultancy and accounting firm does not break down its expectations by region.
In the Netherlands, consumers started doing their end-of-year shopping in the last week of October. At this time of year, the weeks after the summer holidays, online retailers top off their stocks and launch their advertising campaigns.
Photo: Sam Headland, Unsplash
Source: www.emerce.nl
