Online spending soared 54% in February, signaling a permanent shift in Americans' shopping habits, Mastercard says

• Ecommerce a 54% increase in February compared last year, Mastercard said.
• Online apparel and jewelry sales rose 75% and 63% last month from 2020, CNBC reported.
• The "e-commerce muscle" built in the pandemic is "here to stay," Mastercard executive says.

$4 jumped 54% in February from a year ago - a month before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the US.

The pandemic forced e-commerce adoption to accelerate by about two years, Linda Kirkpatrick, president of North America at Mastercard, told CNBC on Tuesday.

Consumers have "really built a digital commerce muscle that we believe is here to stay," she said.

Online apparel sales now account for about three-fourths of all clothing purchases in the US, Kirkpatrick said, noting that's a 47% jump from a year ago. Online jewelry sales have also seen a bump, rising 63% year-over-year, $4.

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Retailers were largely forced to move much of their operations online when the pandemic hit, and many brick-and-mortar stores closed their doors as people hunkered down at home. Data from ESET, a global cybersecurity company, shows $4 are shopping online as a result of the pandemic. Because of the new surge in digital shopping, $4 are planning a digital makeover to help meet customers where they are -- online.

Simeon Siegel, a senior analyst at BMO Capital Markets, told Business Insider previously that retailers will be on a "$4," going forward. He noted, however, there will always be a place for brick-and-mortar stores, even amid the acceleration in digital shopping.

Now, with the third round of $4, Kirkpatrick said spending volumes are likely to increase again as they have in the past. "There's a lot of pent up demand right now for spend," she said. "Consumers will $4 to get back to their lives."