Electronics Sales Lead Retail Growth Into Holidays
Electronics and appliance retailers should watch demand strength through the holiday period as furniture sales continue to decline.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Retail
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U.S. retail sales rose for the 13th consecutive month in October 2026, with total sales of $561.7 billion excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations. Electronics and appliance retailers posted the strongest year-over-year growth, which matters for operators in those categories heading into the holiday season.
Why it matters
October's gain was supported by Halloween spending and early holiday promotions, signaling that consumer demand held up going into the fourth quarter. For retailers, the pattern suggests promotional timing is pulling spending forward and shaping how inventory and staffing should be planned.
The Retail Monitor estimate, drawn from card transaction data weighted to Census totals, shows October sales of $561.7 billion excluding autos and gasoline, up 3.57% year over year. Electronics and appliances led category growth at 9.3%, while furniture and home furnishings declined 2.62% over the same period.
The players
National Retail Federation (NRF)
The NRF is the largest retail trade association in the United States, representing retailers across store formats and product categories and publishing industry analysis that operators use for planning.
CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor
The Retail Monitor is a monthly sales tracker produced with CNBC that uses card transaction data to estimate U.S. retail spending by category.
Affinity Solutions
Affinity Solutions is a marketing and transaction data provider whose card-spending data feeds the Retail Monitor's enhanced methodology.
The details
The Retail Monitor's enhanced methodology draws on transaction data from roughly 120 million debit and credit cards, which is then weighted to reflect U.S. consumer spending and aligned with Census Bureau retail sales totals. Because the measure tracks actual card spending rather than survey responses, it gives retailers a near-real-time read on which categories are gaining or losing share. The divergence between electronics and appliances on one side and furniture and home furnishings on the other points to uneven demand across discretionary categories.
Timeline
September 2026: Retail sales reached $560.8 billion, up 0.28% month over month.
October 2026: Retail sales rose for a 13th consecutive month.
First 10 months of 2026: Total retail sales increased 5.75% year to date.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026: NRF released the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor report.
Market Landscape
The Retail Monitor is calibrated to the Census Bureau Monthly Retail Trade Survey, so its monthly readings function as a faster, transaction-based complement to the official series. The 3.57% year-over-year gain in October sits alongside a 5.75% year-to-date increase, indicating steady growth across 2026 rather than a single strong month.
Retailers in electronics and appliances should expect continued demand strength into the holiday season, which may warrant reviewing inventory depth and staffing for peak weeks. Operators in furniture and home furnishings should factor in the 2.62% year-over-year decline when setting purchasing volumes and promotional calendars.
The takeaway
The sustained run of monthly gains and the electronics-versus-furniture split suggest category-level planning matters more than the headline total. Operators should track the next Retail Monitor release against their own category sales to confirm whether holiday demand is holding.
Further reading
For broader context on how consumer spending is shifting across store formats and categories, explore the Retail section.
More information
Review the full CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor report details on the National Retail Federation website.
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