Retail spending using electronic cards is up slightly, but growing weakness in the economy could give consumers reason to pause.
Official figures show spending using debit, credit and charge cards rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent in August, from July.
Core retail spending, which excludes vehicle-related industries, rose 0.9 percent in August.
In contrast, both of the vehicle-related industries fell in August, with fuel having the largest fall, due to lower prices.
On an annual basis, core retail spending jumped 4.2 percent when compared with August last year.
