Surging online orders and last-minute shoppers helped retailers make up for a slow start to the holiday-shopping season, fueling hopes that higher wages, the rising stock market, and lower food and gas prices prompted Americans to spend more, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Estimates from retail research firms suggest sales growth in the period — which spans from Nov. 1 to the end of December — could outpace that of recent years. Customer Growth Partners, a New Canaan, Conn.-based research firm, raised its holiday-sales growth forecast to 4.9 percent from an initial estimate of 4.1 percent growth. That pace, according to the firm, would be the fastest growth rate since a 6.1 percent increase in 2005. Customer Growth Partners’ forecasts — which excludes auto, car parts, fuel and restaurant sales — are based on a weekly in-house survey of retailers across the country combined with broader economic indicators and historical data.
