“Halloween is the official transition to the autumn season for many Americans,” said Katherine Cullen, vice president of industry and consumer insights at NRF. “Retailers are ready to meet this growing demand by offering shoppers all the essentials for memorable celebrations.”
The NRF survey, conducted from September 3-8 among 7,945 consumers, shows the top reasons for early shopping include excitement for the fall season (48 per cent), avoiding last-minute stress (38 per cent), and Halloween being a favourite holiday (37 per cent). Interest in early shopping is particularly high among the 25-34 age group, with 56 per cent of these shoppers eager to start buying well before October.
Halloween shopping is starting earlier, with 47 per cent of consumers shopping before October, up from 37 per cent five years ago.
Total spending is expected to reach $11.6 billion, driven by demand for candy, costumes, and decorations.
Popular activities include handing out candy and decorating homes, with younger shoppers leading the trend of early purchases.
Despite a slight dip in expected total spending, 72 per cent of consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year, closely matching last year’s record 73 per cent. Popular activities include handing out candy (67 per cent), home or yard decorating (52 per cent), dressing in costume (49 per cent), and pumpkin carving (43 per cent).
The average consumer is expected to spend $103.63 on Halloween festivities, down from last year’s $108.24. Candy remains the most popular spending category, with an estimated $3.5 billion in sales. Spending on decorations and costumes is expected to hit $3.8 billion each, while greeting card sales are projected to reach $500 million.
Discount stores are the top shopping destinations for Halloween supplies, chosen by 37 per cent of shoppers, followed by specialty Halloween stores (33 per cent) and online retailers (33 per cent).
Costumes remain a key part of the Halloween spirit. Children’s favourite costumes include Spider-Man (2.6 million), ghosts (1.8 million), and princesses (1.7 million). Among adults, witches remain the top choice, with 5.8 million planning to dress as one, followed by vampires (3 million) and cats (1.6 million). Pet costumes are also on the rise, with pumpkins, hot dogs, and bats topping the list.
Online searches (38 per cent), in-store browsing (28 per cent), and ideas from friends and family (20 per cent) remain the top sources of costume inspiration. Interest in pet costumes is steady, with spending expected to reach $0.7 billion this year.
Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategy at prosper, commented, “The enthusiasm for early Halloween shopping continues to grow, especially among younger adults. Their love for the holiday drives their early purchases, and retailers are capitalising on this with more options and inspiration.”
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)
