Retail sales saw month-over-month gains in March, but the growth was modest compared to the same time period last year thanks to the slow start of spring weather and the late timing of the Easter holiday. However, retailers will likely see an uptick of store traffic in April as the weather improves.

"Retailers and investors will be looking for strong Easter sales coupled with the release of pent-up demand for warmer weather merchandise this month," Ken Perkins, an analyst with Retail metrics Inc., told the LA Times. 

He explained that sales at stores operational for more than a year increased 2.5 percent last month, which lagged behind the previous year's gains of 3.5 percent. The number of shoppers actually visiting stores dropped 1 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported. Part of the reason may be that Easter falls in April this year, whereas last year the holiday was observed in March.

While shoppers are expected to spend more this month, retailers can shift the odds in their favor by upgrading their retail management software and finding new ways to improve the point of sale experience. For instance, installing POS software that accepts multiple payment methods, such as mobile payment apps, may encourage shoppers to make purchases.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 at 6:08 am .