Retail sales amount is actually the statistical, including all the store mainly engaged in retail business in cash or credit sales total value of the goods form. The cost of services are not included in retail sales.

Retail sales data to determine the economic status and prospects of play an important guiding role, because the retail sales directly reflects the change of consumer spending. In the western developed countries, consumer spending is usually accounted for more than half of the national economy, like the United States, Britain and other countries, this ratio can account for two-thirds.

In the United States, the ministry of commerce bureau every month on a nationwide survey sampling, the retail sales target for various patterns and the scale of the retailers (registered for the company). Because the retail range too wide, so the way by random sampling investigation, in order to obtain more representative data. Durable consumer goods aspects including automobile retailers, retailers, drugs and alcohol super market sales. Due to the data collection, service, so will the excluded, but the service also belongs to the consumer spending in the important part of their consumption, or from the personal consumption expenditure (including retail and service) this data results.

In western countries, auto sales formed in the largest share of retail sales, accounts, thus to 25% of the published in retail sales, will announce a car sales retail sales figures out. In addition, because of food and energy sales, sometimes by season will be eliminated, food and energy released a core retail sales.
Retail sales promotion, a representative of the consumption expenditure, economic situation, the rates may be beneficial to the country, money, and if the retail sales fell, represents the boom slowed or not beautiful, interest rates on May turn to the currency write-downs.

In the United States, often in 11-14 published monthly one month before the retail sales figures.