EMarketer's First $1 Trillion Holiday Sales Forecast Includes Web, Smartphone Shopping Jumps

Research firm eMarketer ratcheted up its holiday sales forecast Tuesday, eyeing the first $1 trillion-plus season, benefiting from the maximum number of days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Analyst Andrew Lipsman predicted 5.8 percent retail sales growth, the highest since 2011. E-commerce will remain the growth king, jumping 17 percent to $123.7 billion, predicted Cindy Liu. She noted e-tailers' market share e-tailers battle to compete against Amazon (see 1811020019 or 1811050040). Mobile shopping from smartphones and tablets will jump 44 percent, reaching 5.4 percent of holiday sales, said the analyst.