Higher Prices Sustained Small Business Sales Growth in April, Fiserv Data Shows

Fiserv (NASDAQ: FISV) published the April 2026 Small Business Index showing the index steady at 144.

Rhea-AI Summary

Fiserv (NASDAQ: FISV) published the April 2026 Small Business Index showing the index steady at 144. Year‑over‑year small business sales rose +1.1%, supported by average ticket growth of +2.8%, while transactions fell -1.7%. Gas stations showed the largest YoY gain (+19.0%).

Results indicate sales growth was largely price‑driven, with mixed category performance across restaurants, groceries, goods and services.

Positive

• Gas Station sales +19.0% year‑over‑year
• Transportation & Warehousing average tickets +11.7%
• Administrative Support Services average tickets +11.0%

Negative

• None.

Argus May 4 session

+1.08% close to close Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – FISV

On May 4, the day this news came out, FISV closed 1.08% above the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the May 4 session.

Key Figures

Fiserv Small Business Index: 144 Small business sales: +1.1% year over year Average tickets: +2.8% year over year +5 more

Fiserv Small Business Index

144

Seasonally adjusted level for April 2026

Small business sales

+1.1% year over year

U.S. small business sales in April 2026

Average tickets

+2.8% year over year

Largest year-over-year increase since 2022

Transactions

-1.7% year over year

Change in small business foot traffic

Gas station sales

+19.0% year over year

Growth driven by higher average tickets

Essential category sales

+1.9% year over year

Supported by average ticket growth of +3.5%

Discretionary sales

+0.4% year over year

With average tickets up +2.2%

Services sales

+1.5% year over year

Driven by average tickets up +4.2% despite lower transactions

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Apr 30

5 events

1. Apr 30

   Product integration

   24h Move

   +1.0%

   Yakima Federal adopts CashFlow Central in Fiserv’s Experience Digital environment.

2. Apr 20

   Investor conferences

   24h Move

   +0.3%

   CEO scheduled to present at two major May 2026 investor conferences.

3. Apr 20

   Earnings scheduling

   24h Move

   +0.3%

   Announcement of Q1 2026 earnings release date and May Investor Day details.

4. Apr 16

   Strategic alliance

   24h Move

   +1.9%

   Alliance with CPI Card Group to offer Card@Once SaaS to Fiserv clients.

5. Apr 08

   Platform partnership

   24h Move

   +2.4%

   Avalara to embed automated sales tax compliance within the Clover POS platform.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

seasonally adjusted, foot traffic, average tickets

3 terms

seasonally adjusted technical

"The seasonally adjusted Index remained at 144."

Seasonally adjusted means that figures have been modified to remove the effects of regular and predictable changes that happen at specific times of the year, such as holidays or weather patterns. This adjustment helps reveal the true underlying trend by making comparisons across different periods more accurate. For investors, it provides a clearer picture of whether economic activity is genuinely improving or declining, without the noise of seasonal fluctuations.

foot traffic technical

"Transactions (foot traffic) declined (-1.7%) year over year."

Foot traffic is the number of people who enter or pass by a physical store, venue or location over a given period. Investors use it like a thermometer for customer interest — higher foot traffic often signals stronger demand, potential sales and marketing effectiveness, while declines can warn of weakening revenue, helping assess short-term performance and guide decisions about inventory, staffing and expansion.

average tickets technical

"supported by higher average tickets (+2.8%)."

Average tickets measures the typical amount of money customers spend each time they make a purchase, calculated by dividing total sales by number of transactions. Investors use it like a thermometer for customer spending: rising average tickets suggest people are buying more or paying higher prices, which can boost revenue without needing more customers, while falling average tickets can signal weaker demand or discounting pressure.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Fiserv Small Business Index remands steady at 144; year-over-year sales grew +1.1%

MILWAUKEE, May 04, 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 April 2026, indicating that U.S. small business sales growth was driven largely by the higher prices consumers are paying for goods and services.

The seasonally adjusted Index remained at 144. Small business sales rose (+1.1%) year over year, supported by higher average tickets (+2.8%). This marked the largest year-over-year average ticket increase since 2022 and the fifth consecutive month with average tickets growing more than +2.0%. Transactions (foot traffic) declined (-1.7%) year over year. On a monthly basis, both sales and transactions were flat (+0.0%) compared to March.

“In April, small business spending remained resilient on the surface, but sales growth continued to be sustained by price-driven gains rather than increased demand,” said Prasanna Dhore, Chief Data Officer, Fiserv. “As prices stay elevated, consumers are adjusting how they spend. They are visiting less often, prioritizing value and moderating nonessential categories – behaviors that sustain dollars spent while keeping overall foot traffic muted.”

Key Takeaways

Restaurant performance remained soft in April
Restaurant sales declined year over year (-1.6%) and month over month (-0.2%). Limited-Service Restaurants experienced notable declines, with sales down (-4.8%) year over year and foot traffic falling (-5.1%) even as average tickets held steady.

Full-Service Restaurants posted modest gains year over year (+0.8%) and month over month (+0.2%), despite flat foot traffic (-0.1% year over year, +0.3% month over month) and rising average tickets (+0.9%) compared to 2025. These results reinforce a continuing shift to Full-Service dining as consumers become more selective amid fewer overall visits.

Rising fuel costs appear to be impacting other high-frequency categories
Gas Station sales grew (+4.4% month over month and +19.0% year over year), driven by higher average tickets. Rising fuel costs likely contributed to higher average tickets across service segments that are likely to pass gas-related costs on to consumers, including Professional Services (+9.8%), Transportation and Warehousing (+11.7%), and Administrative Support Services (+11.0%).

At the same time, Grocery spending softened, with sales (-2.3%) and foot traffic (-0.8%) both declining year over year. Similar caution appeared in Building Materials, where sales (-1.4%) and transactions (-2.1%) declined month over month, though year-over-year traffic was comparatively strong (+3.6%).

Year-over-year trends for Essentials highlight ongoing pressure
Essential category sales increased (+1.9%), supported by average ticket growth (+3.5%). Discretionary sales rose (+0.4%), even as average tickets increased (+2.2%). Foot traffic declined at similar rates across both Essentials (-1.6%) and Discretionary (-1.8%).

Goods and Services sales reflect divergent dynamics
Goods sales grew (+0.2%) year over year as foot traffic increased (+0.9%), while average tickets declined (-0.7%) following strong prior-year demand. Services sales rose (+1.5%) year over year, driven by higher average tickets (+4.2%) even as transactions declined (-1.7%).

To access the full Fiserv Small Business Index, visit fiserv.com/FiservSmallBusinessIndex.

About the Fiserv Small Business Index^®

The Fiserv Small Business Index is published during the first week of every month and differentiated by its direct aggregation of consumer spending activity within the U.S. small business ecosystem. Rather than relying on survey or sentiment data, the Fiserv Small Business Index is derived from point-of-sale transaction data, including card, cash, and check transactions in-store and online across approximately 2 million U.S. small businesses, including hundreds of thousands leveraging the Clover point-of-sale and business management platform.

Benchmarked to 2019, the Fiserv Small Business Index provides a numeric value measuring consumer spending, with an accompanying transaction index measuring customer traffic. Through a simple interface, users can access data by region, state, and/or across business types categorized by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Featuring the most detailed classification available, the Fiserv Small Business Index provides visibility into 56 standardized level-6 national industries across 26 subsectors and 13 sectors, allowing users to track sales trends with precision and understand the diverse dynamics shaping the U.S. small business economy. 

About Fiserv
Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a Fortune 500 company, moves more than money. As a global leader in payments and financial technology, the company helps clients achieve best-in-class results through a commitment to innovation and excellence in areas including account processing and digital banking solutions; card issuer processing and network services; payments; e-commerce; merchant acquiring and processing; and Clover^®, the world’s smartest point-of-sale system and business management platform. Fiserv is a member of the S&P 500^® Index and one of TIME Magazine’s Most Influential Companies™. Visit fiserv.com and follow on social media for more information and the latest company news. 

For more information contact:
Media Relations:
Chase Wallace
Director, Communications
+1 470-481-2555
chase.wallace@fiserv.com

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did Fiserv report in the April 2026 Small Business Index for FISV?

April index remained at 144 with small business sales up +1.1% YoY. According to the company, average tickets rose +2.8% while transactions fell -1.7% YoY, indicating price‑driven sales growth.

How did restaurant sales perform in April 2026 according to Fiserv (FISV)?

Restaurant sales declined -1.6% YoY in April 2026. According to the company, limited‑service restaurants fell -4.8% YoY while full‑service posted modest +0.8% YoY gains.

Which small business categories showed the biggest increases in April 2026 in Fiserv's report?

Gas stations led with a +19.0% YoY increase in sales. According to the company, Transportation & Warehousing and Administrative Support Services saw average ticket gains above +11%.

Did Fiserv report changes in consumer visits or transactions in April 2026 (FISV)?

Transactions (foot traffic) declined -1.7% YoY in April 2026. According to the company, consumers are visiting less often while spending more per visit, keeping sales up despite muted foot traffic.

How did essentials and discretionary spending trend in Fiserv's April 2026 Small Business Index?

Essentials sales rose +1.9% YoY and discretionary sales rose +0.4% YoY. According to the company, both categories saw average ticket growth while foot traffic declined similarly.