Executive Summary: In America, 73% of the population will spend a record $13.1 billion celebrating Halloween in 2025. Creative positioning strategy marketing boosts costume sales. Spending on pet costumes grows 23%, while Netflix properties KPop Demon Hunters and Wednesday inspire human revelers.
Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: KPop Demon Hunters & Wednesday Help Resurrect Holiday Outlook
When it comes to Halloween spending, the specter of tariffs appears to have been a boogeyman. As early as March, retailers were relating spooky tales of canceled shipments and reduced outlooks. But recent data tell a different story. And purveyors of costumes get creative with positioning strategy marketing.
Americans seem more thrilled than ever about Halloween. National Retail Federation (NRF) reports record Halloween spending of $13.1 billion, with 73% planning to celebrate the holiday. In 2024, we saw a significant dip in overall spending, prompting many to wonder, “Is this the beginning of the end?” This year, we have the succinct answer: No.
The above chart shows the dramatic rise in Halloween spending from $6.9 billion in 2015 to $13.1 billion in 2025. In just one decade, American spending on Halloween has nearly doubled.
What Tricks Are Consumers Treating Themselves With?
More consumers also plan to purchase in the top four seasonal categories year-over-year:
- 96% – Candy
- 78% – Decorations
- 71% – Costumes
- 38% – Greeting Cards
In 2024, I wrote about Millennial and Gen Z in-store shopping for decorations in “Growth Strategy Marketing: Two Measures Where Halloween Conquers Christmas.” This year, let’s explore positioning strategy marketing in costumes, the second-highest-growth Halloween category for 2025.
Oh, and here’s one more important Halloween stat. Per-person spending is expected to reach an average of $114 in 2025. In recent years, consumers have steadily increased their Halloween budgets, cracking the three-digit mark in 2021, just four years ago.
Positioning Strategy Marketing:
Are Pet Costumes the Ultimate Accessory You Never Knew You Needed?
Lately, at every retailer I’ve visited, I’ve seen a rack of pet costumes featured near the check-out area. My informal survey indicates pet costumes are the newest impulse buy.
Actual research proves me right. In 2024, NRF reports that Americans spent an eye-popping $700 million on pet costumes. In 2025, pet costume spending grows to a gargantuan $860 million – a 23% increase year-over-year!
Pet costume positioning strategy marketing is a scarily smart growth strategy example of market expansion. It tweaks costume designs to capitalize on the long-term growth in the pet market, reaching an entirely new (and entirely profitable) audience.
NRF compiled a chart of the most popular costumes for pets, along with human children and adults.
Are You Dying to See Some Adorable Pet Costumes?
Don’t worry, it’s all treats and no tricks in this article! Here’s a 20-minute compilation of Halloween pet costumes.
Positioning Strategy Marketing:
How Netflix Spooky Streaming Inspires Elaborate Costumes
You’ll notice most of the popular human costumes are classics, like witches or superheroes. But two themes from Netflix also crack the top 10:
- Wednesday
- KPop Demon Hunters
It’s a truism that the year’s top entertainment morphs into popular Halloween costumes, but these positioning strategy marketing inspirations are highly profitable, as well. Look inside my crystal ball, and you will see.
Is KPop Demon Hunters “How It’s Done” for Halloween?
KPop Demon Hunters was released in 2025. It has become Netflix’s most popular film ever. With its catchy tunes and colorful aesthetic, this worldwide phenomenon particularly lends itself to Halloween positioning strategy marketing. Just look at these fun Rumi, Mira and Zoey costumes from Spirit Halloween:
Transforming your child into her favorite KPop star isn’t cheap, though. These costumes retail at $59.99 each and are exclusive to Spirit Halloween. Budget demon hunters will have to cobble a costume together from purple wigs and Sailor Moon cast-offs on Amazon.
Costume options for the Saja Boys seem a little harder to find and not nearly as in demand.
Was Wednesday Made for Halloween?
Netflix’s Wednesday is the latest iteration of the Addams Family franchise. Launched in 2022, its newest episodes were released in September 2025. Currently, it’s ranked as Netflix’s #1 most popular show.
As positioning strategy marketing opportunities go, the entire Addam’s family has costume options for everyone. You can choose from goth Wednesday to alluring Morticia to hidden Cousin Itt. It’s easy to see why these characters are in the top 10 for both children and adults. This crafty mom got her whole family in on the theme.
Spirit Halloween offers many luxury-priced Addams Family costumes (including a Wednesday pet costume!). But these characters also lend themselves to home-made alternatives—all you need are pigtails and a black dress, or a suit and a fake mustache.
Wednesday has perfect alignment with everything Halloween, but was it created just to boost holiday sales? Surprisingly, no. She first appears as a character in Charles Addams’ 1938 cartoon, which ran in the New Yorker until 1988. Here’s a compilation of his kooky, creepy comic.
How Much of 2025’s Record Halloween Spend Does Netflix Positioning Strategy Scare Up?
About a week ago, I asked my daughter if she wanted to be Wednesday Addams for Halloween. She enthused, “No, I want to be Baby Box!” which is a character from another hit Netflix show, Gabby’s Dollhouse.
As she crafts her way to cardboard cat perfection, I’m left wondering just how big of an impact Netflix has had on Halloween 2025. Without these wildly popular movies and shows, would Halloween have been a flop this year?
Insight to Action is passionate about Positioning Strategy Marketing and holidays! For more Halloween trends, check out our articles from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020. Get monthly insights by subscribing to our newsletter. To start a conversation about your brand, contact us.
