Online Sales Boost Holiday Spending 7.9 Percent, MasterCard Says

Americans spent more on items such as furniture during the holidays this year, with online shopping in particular seeing a big spike, according to a report released on Monday. Overall spending rose 7.9 percent from a year ago, according to the MasterCard SpendingPulse report, which tracks retail sales across cards, cash and checks from Black Friday to Christmas Eve. The uptick was driven by people sitting in the comfort of their homes or at work, with online shopping increasing 20 percent.