Countries across the European continent have had a rough couple of years. The economic recession that took hold of the world resulted in high unemployment rates, declines in consumer spending and general negative outlooks for many European nations. As the slow recovery continues to spread throughout the region, there have been some signs of improvement, and one of these is recent data related to retail sales.

According to The Wall Street Journal, research from Eurostat revealed that retail sales in countries with the euro as currency increased 1 percent between April and May. Although the figure is not large by any means, the rise comes after sales fell 0.2 percent during the two previous months, and it was welcome news by analysts who had predicted a much lower gain, the source explained.

The increased retail sales could be pointing to further economic improvement in the coming months, although analysts stated that there is still a long way to go in terms of getting back to pre-recession levels, the source noted.

"Spending will be soft in the coming months as … households face a number of headwinds that will keep discretionary spending muted for some months," Anna Zabrodska, an economist at Moody's, told the source.

Conditions have been steadily picking back up over the past year as the U.S economy continues to improve. This has been welcome news for retailers, as they saw their revenues slip during the recession. Now, as consumers become more confident and increase their spending levels, merchants are happy to adapt to this change and get back to normal operations.

According to AFP, consumers visited retailers' brick-and-mortar locations and websites in large numbers last month, which helped to boost spending nationwide. Data from the Commerce Department revealed that spending rose 0.3 percent in May from April. This could be due to the fact that personal income also grew month-over-month by 0.5 percent. Compared to the same time last year, spending gains were more significant, with an increase of 1.8 percent, the source noted.

Another contributing factor to more spending could be a recent sharp rise in consumer confidence. The Associated Press reported that the latest Consumer Confidence Index from The Conference Board  jumped from 74.3 in May to 81.4 in June, reaching its highest level in five years. Americans are more optimistic about the nation's economy as well as their own financial conditions, which is resulting in more spending on retail products. 

The British economy has seen its share of ups and downs in the past few years, as the recession took hold of the country and consumers all over felt a financial pinch. This in turn resulted in lower sales for the nation's retailers. Despite these hardships, the sector has prevailed and is being rewarded with revenue boosts as U.K. shoppers once again purchase products and services.

The Grocer reported that Helen Dickinson, the director general for the British Retail Consortium (BRC), praised the country's retailers for being resilient in the face of economic uncertainty. Factors such as poor weather conditions, drops in consumer confidence and fiscal problems within the U.K dealt a blow to merchants, but sales are starting to pick back up, giving retailers some very welcome news, the source noted.

"At the very least, we've survived a prolonged economic downturn," Dickinson said at the BRC Retail Symposium. "We've continued to deliver quality products at reasonable prices to customers who've had less money in their pockets."

RTT News reported that research from the Confederation of British Industry found that 25 percent of merchants said sales were higher this month when compared to a year ago. Analysts forecast even more sales growth in the coming months.

Consumer confidence and retail sales are aspects that often get paired together, as a rise in one figure could indicate an increase in the other. However, this is not always the case, but retailers are hoping that recent data pertaining to consumer optimism could help boost their revenues in the coming months.

The Associated Press reported that, according to the latest Consumer Confidence Index from The Conference Board, consumers are more optimistic about the economy now than they have been in the past five years. The most recent index stands at 81.4 in June, up from May's figure of 74.3. This month's level is the highest it has been in five years, and analysts are hopeful that the confidence boost will translate into increased retail sales throughout the country, the source noted.

However, preliminary figures from Redbook Research revealed that during the first three weeks of June, retail sales were down 0.5 percent from May, 24/7 Wall Street reported. On the other hand, the source explained that the summer months are usually lagging for the nation's merchants. Perhaps the sharp rise in consumer confidence could further propel sales over the coming months.

Perhaps in the hopes of getting a jump start on buying school-related necessities, many parents are hitting retail stores throughout the United States to stock up on supplies for the coming school year. Although the official start is still more than a month away, these sales are helping merchants boost their summer revenues.

According to The Tampa Tribune, retailers throughout the Florida city are already getting the word out about their back-to-school sales. Many big name brands such as Target, Staples and Walmart have launched marketing campaigns to showcase their school supplies and other items they have in stock. While school start dates vary around the country, Tampa-area school normally have their first day sometime in mid-August. For this reason, many merchants think now is a good time to generate awareness about their back-to-school sales. The source noted that this push is also helping businesses boost their revenues.

Whether it's dealing with a summer rush of shoppers or ensuring that parents can find the necessary supplies for their children for the upcoming school year, companies should have the right retail management software solution that can process sales orders, accept all forms of payment and maintain customer loyalty programs, among other tasks.

The retail industry within the United Kingdom has seen its share of ups and downs recently. Fluctuating sales, lagging consumer spending and colder weather are all factors that have contributed to less-than-stellar sales during the past few months. However, conditions could be improving, as recent data has shown that merchants are increasingly opening up new storefronts throughout the nation.

The Telegraph reported that shopping centres across the U.K. are finally under development following several pauses due to the country's struggling economy. Many cities are seeing new storefronts pop up in various complexes, including London, Leeds, Oxford and Glasgow, the source explained. The U.K. capital is experiencing its highest number of current retail developments in years as plans get back on track.

"Development activity in London and the South East began to lift markedly a year or so ago," Mark Disney, head of shopping centre development and leasing at property agent CBRE, told the source. "Now, finally, we are beginning to see some signs of recovery in the major metropolitan centres as well. The major retail developers are all working on schemes either to extend and refurbish their existing centres or to develop new ones."

The retail industry within the United Kingdom has seen its share of ups and downs recently. Fluctuating sales, lagging consumer spending and colder weather are all factors that have contributed to less-than-stellar sales during the past few months. However, conditions could be improving, as recent data has shown that merchants are increasingly opening up new storefronts throughout the nation.

The Telegraph reported that shopping centres across the U.K. are finally under development following several pauses due to the country's struggling economy. Many cities are seeing new storefronts pop up in various complexes, including London, Leeds, Oxford and Glasgow, the source explained. The U.K. capital is experiencing its highest number of current retail developments in years as plans get back on track.

"Development activity in London and the South East began to lift markedly a year or so ago," Mark Disney, head of shopping centre development and leasing at property agent CBRE, told the source. "Now, finally, we are beginning to see some signs of recovery in the major metropolitan centres as well. The major retail developers are all working on schemes either to extend and refurbish their existing centres or to develop new ones."

Several recent reports have shown that retail sales were particularly strong throughout May, as consumers flooded brick-and-mortar locations and merchants' websites. Despite a shaky start to the year, businesses are steadily regaining their confidence that was lost during the recession, and analysts expect that sales will keep climbing in the coming months.

USA Today reported that the latest data from the Census Bureau revealed that retail sales jumped 0.6 percent last month from April. This beat economists' expectations of a 0.5 percent rise. However, while most retail sectors saw growth during May, consumer spending at restaurants dipped slightly, and analysts say this could be a sign that Americans are still reeling from the payroll tax increases that took effect at the beginning of the year. But optimism remains high, both among analysts and retailers throughout the country.

"You can't draw conclusions based on one month," Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group, told the source about May's retail sales. "Year-over-year, it's still up about 4 percent.''

Merchants can ensure they are keeping track of their sales and accommodating their customers with the right retail management software and POS solutions.

As retail sales continue to improve throughout the country, merchants are hoping that increased imports will contribute to further growth during the summer season. More merchandise imports, coupled with jumps in consumer confidence and spending, could result in successful sales over the coming months.

The City Wire reported that the Global Port Tracker produced each month by the National Retail Federation estimates that the import volume for retail merchandise will rise 1.1 percent this month when compared to the same time last year. While there is no certain way to determine whether this jump will absolutely lead to more retail sales, the source noted that these imports do measure merchants' expectations for the upcoming season, and conditions look positive.

Perhaps more imports will help boost businesses' sales throughout the summer. May's retail sales were better-than-expected, the Los Angeles Times reported. Data from Thomson Reuters revealed that sales increased 3.9 percent last month from April, beating the an estimated 3.7 percent rise.

As consumers spend more on merchandise, companies can effectively deal with this influx by using retail management software to oversee their revenues and process transactions from all payment forms.

Following several months of stagnant sales, retailers across the United States saw their totals rise in May, which was most likely the result of warmer weather and consumers having a more positive outlook on their financial futures. However, many businesses are still hesitant to see what the coming months bring in terms of sales.

The Los Angeles Times reports that data from Thomson Reuters revealed that retail sales rose 3.9 percent last month from April. This was more than analysts' expectations of a 3.7 percent jump, the news source explains. One of the main reasons for the boost in sales was due to shoppers being more optimistic about the nation's economy and their own finances. An improving employment sector contributed to increases in confidence as well. Additionally, rising temperatures in May following a colder-than-normal winter helped get customers to retail stores to stock up on summer merchandise.

If retails sales continue to jump in the coming months – which will be much welcome news for merchants – companies will need to streamline their operations to meet consumer demand. Retail management software can help make transactions easier and more efficient, and point of sale systems can ensure that businesses are able to accept all forms of payments, further boosting patron satisfaction.