Retail sales rose by 0.4 percent in April from a month earlier to $686.1 billion, the Commerce Department said in a statement, up from a revised decline of 0.7 percent in March.
Sales were up 1.6 percent year-on-year.
The sales figure was half of the median expectation of economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
While the headline figure for retail sales came in lower than expected, the one excluding motor vehicle and parts dealers was in line with analysts' expectations, showing a small rise after two months of declines.
"While this is good news, inflation's persistent impact on consumers is apparent in the year-on-year comparisons with significant drops in discretionary categories" like home furnishings and electronics, Morning Consult's retail and e-commerce analyst Claire Tassin said in a statement.
