U.S. retail: apparel store sales on a monthly basis 2017-2024

There was a significant variation in the monthly retail sales of clothing stores in the United States from January 2017 to June 2023. In March 2024, clothing store sales were estimated to reach roughly 18 billion U.S. dollars. This was slightly higher than the value in the same month in the previous year.

Sales peak in December

Clothing sales in the United States very clearly peak during December of each year. In December 2023, sales reach almost 27 billion U.S. dollars. This was roughly twice as much as in the following month, January 2024. December 2023 also saw an increase of around one billion dollars compared to the previous year. 

Christmas shopping in the U.S.

These higher sales are driven by people shopping for the holiday season, buying gifts for family, friends, or even themselves. In 2023, clothing/shoes was the most common gift category in the United States, with around 58 percent of consumers intending to buy these items for others. While the majority of consumers planned to buy their gifts online, a substantial number still planned to shop in store. Total holiday retail sales in the United States were estimated to hit new highs of around 930 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, an increase of approximately 40 billion dollars compared to the previous year.