Retail sales for the holiday shopping season rose 3.6 percent over last year's season, while consumer electronics was among the hottest sectors, posting a 5.9 percent gain. That's according to figures released Sunday by MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, as cited by the AP.
The strong CE performance was buoyed by such strong product categories as flat-panel TVs, smartphones and cameras.
The figures cover the dates Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, and compares with the 3.2 percent drop from the previous year recorded last year. In addition, online sales surged 15.5 percent over 2008.