NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Retail sales on Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, rose 0.5% this holiday season over 2013, making it the biggest shopping day of the year, according to data from research company ShopperTrak. Without specifying a number, it said the tally was below its $10 billion forecast, but still managed to edge out Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that is viewed as the start of the season. "There was positive growth across the majority of retailers," ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin said in a release on the company's website. "The final numbers will tell the tale, but we know that Super Saturday saw brisk sales with both conversion rate and average dollar per shopper increasing over last year," he said. Lower jobless rates and cheaper gas helped boost sales, leaving retailers on track to meet the research company's forecast of a 3.8% gain for overall season, he said.