INSIGHTS Insights for 12-28-18 By Staff Thursday, December 27, 2018 11:23 AM "From shopping aisles to online carts, consumer confidence translated into holiday cheer for retail. By combining the right inventory with the right mix of online versus in-store, many retailers were able to give consumers what they wanted via the right shopping channels."-Steve Sadove, a Mastercard senior advisor, in a statement earlier this week. Mastercard estimated that holiday sales increased 5.1 percent to more than $850 billion this year, the strongest growth in the last six years. Online shopping also experienced a solid gain of 19.1 percent compared with 2017 results, according to the statement.