The economy's late - 2017 strength was driven by better - than - expected holiday retail sales. (valueline.com)
Online shopping is as much a force in holiday retail sales as going to a store the day after Thanksgiving. (video-games-galore.com)
NRF's forecast follows those from Deloitte and AlixPartners, which call for holiday retail sales increasing between 3.8 and 4.5 percent, thanks to higher online spending and a tightening labor market. (cnbc.com)