June Consumer Spending Slowed Slightly, Yet Remained Healthy

ATLANTA, July 14, 2014 – Like a toddler balancing on newly-discovered, yet slightly rubbery legs, consumer spending tottered a bit in June, but remained on its feet, poised to tackle its next steps forward. While slower than last month, solid June spending growth in a number of sectors was reported today by First Data Corporation, the global leader in payment technology and services solutions, in its First Data SpendTrend® analysis for May 31, 2014 through June 30, 2014, compared to June 1, 2013 through July 1, 2013. SpendTrend tracks same-store point-of-sale data by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks from nearly four million merchant locations serviced by First Data.

A slowly improving economy and growing job market have helped drive consumer spending. Spending growth in June slowed slightly from May but remained positive on a year-over-year basis with a growth of 3.0%. While spending in Travel and Hotel slowed from the previous month, growth was still strong in these sectors, with a year-over-year increase of 4.9% and 7.1%, respectively. Food and Beverage Stores spending was up 4.7% vs. May’s 4.2% growth, a trend reflecting an increase in food costs. 

Retail spending growth retreated slightly in June compared to May but remained positive with 1.2% growth. 5.7% growth in Building and Gardening Materials and 1.5% growth in Furniture and Home Furnishings reflect continued improvement in the housing market. However, a slowly declining unemployment rate caused consumers to remain hesitant and kept overall retail spending growth moderate.   

Average ticket growth also decreased slightly from May but remained positive at 0.9% growth on a year-over-year basis, reflecting increased food and gas prices. Food and Drinking Places and Food and Beverage Stores saw a growth of 2.5% and 1.5%, respectively, as rising food costs impacted the average ticket in these categories for consumers.

Finally, credit spending continued to be the preferred spending method this month with a 5.3% increase in transaction growth and a 3.9% dollar volume growth. The increase in transaction volume was supported by year-over-year growth in categories such as Hotel and Travel, where consumers tend to utilize this payment method most. 

“This month’s trends showed some slowing in spending growth but overall, spending remains healthy, reflecting the recovering economy and consumer willingness to spend compared to the same time last year,” said Krish Mantripragada, SVP, Information and Analytics Solutions, First Data. “An increase in credit usage reflects steady growth in credit lending, improved consumer credit quality and a growing consumer confidence in their personal finances.” 

Note: All transactions are same-store growth.

Processing more than 59 billion transactions globally in 2013, First Data has long been a data powerhouse with the ability to help its clients use transaction data to prevent fraud, identify spending patterns and create loyalty programs.  

To view infographics showing May SpendTrend data, visit:http://www.firstdata.com/spendtrend/201406/spendtrend-data-201406.png

For more information on First Data SpendTrend, visit www.spendtrend.com or call SpendTrend Customer Care at 800-430-0169.

To participate in the SpendTrend conversation, please follow First Data at http://twitter.com/spendtrend.

About First Data

Around the world, every second of every day, First Data makes payment transactions secure, fast and easy for merchants, financial institutions and their customers. First Data leverages its vast product portfolio and expertise to drive client revenue and profitability. Whether the choice of payment is by debit or credit card, gift card, check or mobile phone, online or at the checkout counter, First Data takes every opportunity to go beyond the transaction. More information about the company is available on FirstData.com as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Media Contact

Cindi Kurczewski, First Data
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FirstData Spend Trend, a macro-economic indicator, is based on aggregate same-store sales activity in the First Data Point-of-Sale Network. First Data SpendTrend does not represent First Data’s financial performance.