• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, December 13, 2009

In another indication that the holiday season is looking brighter than last year, personal finance site Mint.com has released data showing that consumer spending is up across key shopping categories.

Based on aggregate spending trends from its 1.8 million users, Mint says retail buying is enjoying a major rebound in the last few months, after 2009 lagged behind last year's figures for most of the year. The most recent findings for November show healthy gains in spending in segments including general merchandise, clothing and electronics.

Among major retailers, for example, Intuit-owned Mint found a 12.6% increase in spending per user at Sears, an 8.5% rise at J. Crew and an 18.3% jump at Best Buy. Upscale stores like Nordstrom, Banana Republic and Saks Fifth Avenue have also seen a steady climb in sales after suffering through much of a dismal 2009.

While categories like clothing and electronics may see the biggest improvement, the Mint findings align with upbeat holiday season forecasts from other sources. Market research firm eMarketer has predicted that e-commerce retail sales will increase 5.4% over last year to $30 billion.

ComScore expects a modest 3% growth in holiday online spending this year, while Citi analyst Mark Mahaney projects high single-digit or low double-digit growth in Web retail sales in the fourth quarter overall.