consumer trends

NRF: US households have the ‘underpinnings to spend’

Retail sales continued to grow in August, fueled by rising wages amid falling inflation, said Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist of the National Retail Federation (NRF). “These numbers show the continued resiliency of the American consumer,”... more »

Nearly half of Halloween shoppers to purchase items before October

Early Halloween shopping is on the rise, with 47% of survey participants beginning their shopping before October, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. [caption id="attachment_89982" align="alignright"... more »

Economy ‘on the cusp’ of a soft landing with recession unlikely

With the economy slowing but still growing and inflation down as the Federal Reserve prepares to lower interest rates, the U.S. appears to have dodged a recession, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said.... more »

Census retail sales data for May shows a ‘reasonably healthy consumer’

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today shows retail sales grew again in May and helped drive a still-expanding economy, National Retail Federation (NRF) Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “May’s retail sales give us... more »

Retail sales jump in May 2024 after April slowdown

Retail sales jumped significantly in May, showing strong increases both month over month and year over year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). “Consumers have clearly retained their ability to spend and are driving... more »

NRF: Consumers still ‘willing to spend’ as growth slows

Shoppers are still willing to buy even as smaller job and wage gains and high interest rates are slowing the growth of consumer spending, reported Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist of the National Retail Federation (NRF).... more »

Spring 2024 Trend Report: Peach Fuzz and its supporting cast

This year's outlook is just peachy. The Pantone Color Institute named Peach Fuzz (PANTONE 13-1023) its 2024 Color of the Year, and the hue is already permeating retail. Peach Fuzz is a nurturing, velvety and... more »

NRF: Economy remains ‘sturdy’ despite forecast for slower growth

Despite expectations for slower growth of both gross domestic product and retail sales, the economy should continue to do well the remainder of this year, said Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist for the National Retail Federation... more »