December same-store sales growth weakened to 0.2 percent from the prior month and the prior year for about 50 retailers reporting monthly results (pdf), TNS Retail Forward reported last week; the results reflect the weak shopper sentiment in TNS Retail Forward's December ShopperScape survey (via MarketingCharts).

"The retail numbers leave little doubt that shoppers are in belt-tightening mode. No part of retail spending is immune right now. From stores to online retailers and lower-income to higher-income shoppers, there are signs of weakness that will persist into 2008," said Frank Badillo, senior economist and director of the Retail Forward KnowledgeBase.

In the December ShopperScape survey, shoppers estimated that they cut back on their holiday spending compared with last year.

ShopperScape survey findings from the few days directly following Christmas before New Year's Eve show the same percentage of shoppers buying holiday gifts this year as last year, but shoppers estimate that they spent less than last year - $635 on average this year vs. $710 on average last year:

Retail stores cannot necessarily blame online retailing for luring away shoppers. Online shopping was also not as robust as prior years, according to the December ShopperScape survey:

• Fewer shoppers (82 percent) this holiday season said they shopped online for gifts vs. last year (88 percent). And the percentage of purchasers online (77 percent) declined slightly from last year (80 percent):

• Online spending estimates dipped slightly to $262 on average compared with $272 last year:

• Up Market shoppers spent $344 online on average - well above what Down Market and Middle Market shoppers spent online.

About the data: The TNS Retail Forward ShopperScape survey is conducted online each month with a sample of 4,000 US primary household shoppers, among a nationally representative sample of households. This month's survey was conducted during the last week of December 2007.