A Look At Halloween Spending

With October fast approaching, many suppliers are already gearing up for Halloween. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics. “Early Halloween shopping is on the rise, with 47% of survey participants beginning their shopping before October. The figure is up from 37% five years ago and compares with just 32% in 2014. Total Halloween spending is expected to reach $11.6 billion.”

“Halloween marks the official transition to the fall season for many Americans, and consumers are eager to get a jump start on purchasing new seasonal décor and other autumnal items,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “Retailers are prepared to meet this early demand by offering shoppers all the holiday essentials to make this year’s celebrations memorable.”

It’s critical for stores to be prepared early to attract shoppers. According to The Hershey Company, 88% of consumers agree that seasonal displays make shopping more enjoyable, leading to unplanned purchases, while 87% of shoppers say seasonal displays and aisles help remind them to purchase candy.

Hershey said that a seasonal destination inspires shoppers to purchase early. Those who start shopping early in the season will make more trips and spend a greater amount than those who first purchase during mid or late season.

“Consumers are sticking to Halloween traditions, but their spending habits are shifting towards savings, making it essential to enhance the shopping experience to capture attention and drive sales,” Hershey reported.

NACS has previously delved into this topic. “[D]on’t be afraid to get it out there early. … I get Halloween candy out there in July. … We sell more in July and August than we do September and October,” said Dan Razowsky, director of operations and marketing at Rmarts, in the October 2023 issue of NACS Magazine.

Space is a challenge, which is why the c-store channel won’t see the same sales spike during holidays as grocery and mass merch. This is when creative marketing and promotions need the volume turned up, like utilizing pump toppers, leveraging social media, BOGOs, coupons, etc, according to the NACS Magazine article.

Join NACS to learn more about candy sales at the 2024 NACS Show in Las Vegas from October 7-10, where you can attend the education session “Sweet Success: Maximizing Candy Sales for C-Store Shoppers.” Learn more about this session here.