April Small Business Sales up 1.1%, Fiserv Says

Small business sales, as tracked in the Fiserv Small Business index, were up 1.1% year-over-year in April, buoyed in part by a 2.8% increase in higher average tickets, finds the latest edition of the index.

Released Monday, the index found the April increase in the average ticket was the highest year-over-year increase since 2022 and the fifth consecutive month that it increased more than 2%, Fiserv says.

While the data appears to benefit small businesses, Fiserv cautioned it may represent other factors they contend with.

“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,” Prasanna Dhore, Fiserv chief data officer, says in a statement. “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.” Foot traffic, or transactions, decreased 1.7% in April from April 2025.

Restaurants, in particular, experienced declines with overall restaurant sales dropping 1.6% year-over-year and down 0.2% month-over-month. Sales at limited-service restaurants, in which service is kept to a minimum and consumers order and pay before receiving their food, were down 4.8% year-over-year with foot traffic down 5.1%.

Conversely, full-service restaurants experienced a 0.8% increase in sales year-over-year, though foot traffic was virtually flat at a 0.1% decrease. Fiserv says this reinforces a continuing shift to full-service restaurants among diners as they become more selective and choose fewer overall visits.

Other small business categories had mixed results. Gas station sales in April were up 4.4% month-over-month and up 19% year-over-year, driven by higher average tickets, Fiserv says.

Essentials sales were up 1.9% year-over-year with a 3.5 % increase in average ticket size.