Last-minute shoppers lifting national holiday figures

The holiday shopping season turned out to be two seasons split by a big lull. A surge in buying in the two weeks before Christmas coupled with a record-breaking Black Friday gave retailers a solid season. The doldrums between the buying binges show how shoppers have learned to wait for the discounts they know will come. For Dec. 1-24, spending rose 4.7%compared with the same period last year, according to research firm ShopperTrak. In November, it rose 4.1%. A 4% increase is considered a successful season. A combined figure for the whole season won’t be available until after Dec. 31. In the week before Christmas, last-minute shoppers gave retailers a 4.5% increase in revenue at stores open at least a year, compared with the same week last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. Total retail revenue for the week that ended Saturday rose 14.8% compared with the year ago, ShopperTrak estimates. A fuller holiday spending picture will come into focus Jan. 5, when stores, including Target Corp. and Macy’s, will release December sales figures. Read the full story here.