Business
Small Business Sales Edge Upward in May as Foot Traffic Continues to Slow, Fiserv Data Shows
Fiserv Small Business Index remains steady at 144; year-over-year sales grew +0.7%MILWAUKEE, June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology, has published the Fiserv Small Business Index for May 2026, indicating that U.S. small business sales growth in May was driven primarily by higher average ticket sizes amid persistent cost pressures, while consumer foot traffic continued to soften. The seasonally adjuste
About this update from Fiserv, Inc.
Fiserv Small Business Index remains steady at 144; year-over-year sales grew +0.7% MILWAUKEE, June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology, has published the Fiserv Small Business Index for May 2026, indicating that U.S. small business sales growth in May was driven primarily by higher average ticket sizes amid persistent cost pressures, while consumer foot traffic continued to soften. The seasonally adjusted Index remained at 144. Small business sales rose (+0.7%) year over year, driven by average tickets that climbed +3.1% compared with 2025. Transactions declined (-2.4%) year over year, marking the seventh consecutive month of declining foot traffic. Compared with April, sales were flat (+0.0%) and transactions declined slightly (-0.2%). “We saw a continuation of recent trends in May: stable overall sales, rising average tickets, and softer consumer activity as households adjust to increasing costs,” said Prasanna Dhore, Chief Data Officer, Fiserv. “Services remained the strongest contributor to sales growth, full-service restaurants outperformed limited-service and higher fuel costs continued to impact many businesses.” Key Takeaways Restaurant sales continue to fight for growthSales declined (-0.6%) year over year but accelerated slightly (+0.6%) compared with April. Higher prices continued to shape results, with average tickets up +3.0% year over year. Transactions fell -3.6%, marking a sixth consecutive month of year over year declines. Limited-Service Restaurants led the slowdown, with sales down -3.4% year over year and foot traffic falling -5.4%. Full-Service Restaurants showed relative strength, with sales rising +1.5% year over year, supported by stable foot traffic (+0.2%) and modest average ticket growth (+1.3%). Elevated gasoline prices continue to impact multiple categoriesGas Station sales grew +22.9% year over year and +1.2% month over month, due entirely to higher average tickets. Rising fuel costs likely contributed to average ticket growth across multiple service segments, including Professional Services, Transportation and Warehousing, and Administrative Support Services. Retail remained stable overall, with modest divergence between Core and Non-CoreTotal retail sales increased +0.1% year over year but declined -0.5% month over month. Transacti...