Recent reports from the statistics website ShopperTrak and the National Retail Federation (NRF) indicate that consumer spending was in the U.S. was unexpectedly high in November, which may lead to a successful holiday season for online and brick-and-mortar retailers, according to The Associated Press.

According to ShopperTrak, which is based in Chicago, holiday sales are expected to rise a total of 4 percent in comparison from last year. This is an updated forecast from their recent mid-November projection of 3.2 percent and their original estimate of a 2.9 percent increase.

On Tuesday, the NRF updated it's holiday sales predictions, stating that it expected a 3.3 percent increase in overall consumer spending for the weeks preceding Christmas, an entire percentage point over their original forecast.

The updated prognoses reflect the latest figures released by the government on Tuesday, showing that November sales jumped .8 percent in October, the fifth increase in month-over-month statistics.

Many shoppers will turn to the internet to find gifts this year. According to ABC, those who plan on visiting web-based merchants can save online and find the best deals by using shopping search engines to compare prices.