Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/research-trends/mastercard-projected-a-strong-return-to-holiday-shopping-in-2021-2da687b127e3/ --- description: The forecast paired early gift purchases with growth in both stores and e-commerce. title: Mastercard SpendingPulse forecasts 7.4% US holiday retail growth for 2021 image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/mastercard-spendingpulse-forecasts-7-4-us-holiday-retail-growth-2021-a8ac3540f79eea6b480f8acf8266b891.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) # Mastercard SpendingPulse forecasts 7.4% US holiday retail growth for 2021 The forecast paired early gift purchases with growth in both stores and e-commerce. By [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) September 13, 2021 1 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fmastercard-projected-a-strong-return-to-holiday-shopping-in-2021-2da687b127e3%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Mastercard%20SpendingPulse%20forecasts%207.4%25%20US%20holiday%20retail%20growth%20for%202021 "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fmastercard-projected-a-strong-return-to-holiday-shopping-in-2021-2da687b127e3%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Mastercard%20SpendingPulse%20forecasts%207.4%25%20US%20holiday%20retail%20growth%20for%202021%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fmastercard-projected-a-strong-return-to-holiday-shopping-in-2021-2da687b127e3%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Mastercard forecast graphic for the 2021 U.S. holiday season](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/mastercard-spendingpulse-forecasts-7-4-us-holiday-retail-growth-2021-forecast-graphic-w628.webp) Photo: Source: newsroom.mastercard.com [Mastercard](https://giftcard.news/company/mastercard/)'s September 13, 2021 holiday outlook forecast a 7.4% increase in U.S. retail spending excluding vehicles and gasoline. It expected online spending to grow 7.6% and store sales to rebound by 6.6% compared with 2020. The company anticipated early promotions as retailers and consumers responded to supply-chain and staffing concerns. Electronics, clothing and department-store merchandise were highlighted among categories commonly purchased as gifts, with collection services and contactless payments expected to remain important. For an extended 75-day holiday window, Mastercard projected 6.8% retail growth and 7.5% online growth. It said savings accumulated during the pandemic and government stimulus could support shoppers' capacity to spend. Luxury goods and jewelry were among the categories the company expected to maintain momentum. The projections described expectations before the 2021 season. Mastercard's standard and extended holiday forecasts used different measurement windows, so their growth rates should not be treated as interchangeable. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [Mastercard projected a strong return to holiday shopping in 2021](https://newsroom.mastercard.com/news/press/2021/september/good-tidings-for-retailers-mastercard-spendingpulse-anticipates-u-s-holiday-retail-sales-to-grow-7-4-in-2021/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — newsroom.mastercard.com ## In this article ### Companies * [Mastercard](https://giftcard.news/company/mastercard/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fmastercard-projected-a-strong-return-to-holiday-shopping-in-2021-2da687b127e3%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Mastercard%20SpendingPulse%20forecasts%207.4%25%20US%20holiday%20retail%20growth%20for%202021 "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fmastercard-projected-a-strong-return-to-holiday-shopping-in-2021-2da687b127e3%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Mastercard%20SpendingPulse%20forecasts%207.4%25%20US%20holiday%20retail%20growth%20for%202021%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fmastercard-projected-a-strong-return-to-holiday-shopping-in-2021-2da687b127e3%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/emma-carter-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) Journalist — Retail & E-commerce Emma Carter covers retail, e-commerce and the gift card shopping experience for Gift Card News. 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