U.S. retail sales in the November-December holiday shopping season rose for the fourth consecutive year, even though the number of people walking into stores across the United States fell 14.6 percent in the period, ShopperTrak said.
"It's a result of more and more technology in the hands of the consumer, which allows them to virtually window-shop," ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin told Reuters.
The holiday period between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2013 was six days shorter than a year earlier, which prompted retailers to offer more promotions than usual earlier in the season.
As a result, retailers had a strong November. They also benefited from strong sales in the last few days of the year, Martin said.
"Consumers took a break from shopping after Thanksgiving weekend, so retailers were pressured to offer deep discounts and promotions in the final week before Christmas to finish the holiday on a positive note," Martin said.
(Reporting by Maria Ajit Thomas in Bangalore; Editing by Kirti Pandey and Robin Paxton)