Gearing Up for Spooky High Halloween Spend

Costumes, Candy and Carving Pumpkins are More Popular than Ever

Halloween is right around the corner, with Halloween sections in full display at some of the major retailers.  According to a study conducted by the National Retail Federation, 65% of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year – up from 58% last year and just slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels of 68%.

As result, Halloween holiday spending is expected to reach a record high of $10.14 Billion

Going into Halloween, the need to plan ahead is top of mind for consumers. Almost half (45%) are planning to start their holiday shopping in September or earlier this year. Many have  experienced the effects of supply chain disruption one way or another, either through …

• out-of-stocks
• longer delivery times
• rising costs

and are looking to avoid it by planning ahead.

“I went ahead and got started because I don’t want to be running around looking for a costume last minute, they could be out-of-stock.  It is here now so might as well get it.”

Bertha Estrada, mother of 9-year-old

Unsurprisingly, households with kids plan to spend more on Halloween ($149.69) when compared to households without kids ($73.57).  Top spending Halloween items are:

1. Costumes
2. Decorations
3. Candy
4. Greeting Cards 

Over 40% of consumers plan to participate by giving candy this year, decorating their home, dressing up in a costume, and/or carving a pumpkin.

While not on the list, some are also looking forward to a re-do of new traditions they started last year – the goal is just to make this holiday a memorable one.

“The candy chute was a huge success for us – the kids decorated it and loved giving candy this way.  I think we are going to do this every year going forward.”

Kristen Eigenbrod, mother of 4-year-old boy

This year it will not just be kids dressing up; 25% plan to buy a costume for their pet, and 69% of adults also plan to put on a costume this year.  Below are the most popular costumes, so if these are on your list make sure to get them early!

According to PureWow, other hot items this Halloween are Halloween Squishmallows and Halloween Pajamas.

Consumers are actively searching online and looking in-store for Halloween inspiration ideas.

Following suit, Google Trends shows a noticeable uptick on Halloween searches in the last 30 days, with consumers looking for ideas on costumes, movies, decorations, and events.  

Top Halloween Related Google Search Terms

Past 30 Days

Consumers do plan to shop several channels this year for Halloween, with Discount stores (40%), specialty Halloween/costume stores (35%) , and Online (29%) topping the list.

For more market trends, visit our market trends resource page or sign up for our newsletter.