Hotly anticipated, U.S. retail performance for May is now available — along with expert commentary. 

According to the latest Retail Monitor report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF), consumer credit and debit card transactions revealed that core retail sales were up 0.39 percent month over month (MoM) and up 6.98 percent year over year (YoY). 

But what about key categories like furniture and appliances? The report breaks those down, too. 

Spring 2026 Retail Performance for Furniture and Appliances 

Furniture and Home Furnishings

• May 2026 (MoM, seasonally adjusted): -0.09 percent
• April 2026 (MoM, seasonally adjusted): -0.06 percent
• May 2026 (YoY, unadjusted): +3.35 percent
• April 2026 (YoY, unadjusted): +2.58 percent 

Electronics and Appliances

• May 2026 (MoM, seasonally adjusted): +0.05 percent
• April 2026 (MoM, seasonally adjusted): +0.16 percent
• May 2026 (YoY, unadjusted): +11.59 percent
• April 2026 (YoY, unadjusted): +4.03 percent 

“Retail sales maintained momentum in May, driven by a resilient labor market and consumers’ continued willingness to spend on retail goods despite pressure from elevated gas prices, tariffs and the conflict in the Middle East,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a press release. “As support from this year’s large tax refunds fades, consumers are prioritizing essentials and finding creative ways to stretch their household budgets. To support them, retailers are actively engaging their supply chains and supplier networks to keep prices affordable.” 

Another way retailers can support consumer needs? 

Yahoo Finance reports that retailers with “strong omnichannel operations” are seeing more stability in sales than those only focused on fulfillment through one channel. This indicates that shoppers reward retailers who give them options and flexibility at the point of purchase. 

Retail Outlook for the Remainder of 2026

The summer promotional season has only just begun, with Father’s Day, Independence Day, and Amazon Prime Day all happening in the next month.  

Home News Now predicts that the Fourth of July holiday, specifically, “will likely be one of the clearest indicators of how the rest of the year will pan out,” given that sales around the July 4th promo period tend to surpass both Memorial Day and Labor Day for many retailers. 

Yahoo! Finance contends that performance in the back half of 2026 “will depend on wage growth, inflation trends and household confidence in the wider economic outlook” — all of which is likely to impact shopper activity during the remaining sales events this year. 

And, as reported by Yahoo! Finance, Marshal Conen, Chief Retail Industry Advisor for Circana notes, “Consumers may be calloused to higher prices, but they’re not numb—they remain highly engaged and intentional in how they spend.” 

We can also look to emerging retail trends, like those captured in Bank of America’s monthly consumer insights report. Its May 2026 report identified growth in both the electronics and furniture categories, which boosted overall retail spending growth to levels not seen since February 2021. 

Will summer spending continue to be hot? We’ll find out soon enough, and in the meantime, a little optimism never hurts!