October 31 2022
Halloween is excitedly anticipated across the United States as American participation is returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey.
Halloween sales are expected to reach a record $10.6 billion, exceeding last year’s record of $10.1 billion according to NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
Here are four spooky trends for this year's holiday season:
1. 47% of consumers plan to shop early this year
We are in the world of "phygital" - where retail is physical and digital at the same time. Shoppers have started their Halloween shopping earlier than ever, with 47 percent of consumers planning to shop in September or earlier. This means that the holiday season starts earlier than ever, and this can lead to challenges for retailers. Inventory needs to be available and whether fulfilling orders online or in-store, you don’t want to lose any sales.
2. An estimated 69 percent of Americans intend to celebrate Halloween
That’s up from 65 percent last year. During Halloween, people like to hand out candy (67%) and decorate their home or yard (51%). Dressing up in a costume (47%), getting pets a cute Halloween outfit (20%) and carving a pumpkin (44%) never seems to get old. Almost thirty percent will throw or attend a party.
Consumers plan to spend $100 on average for Halloween candy, décor, cards and costumes. This amount is on par with last year’s record of $103 and is the second highest in the survey’s history.
3. Gen-Z amp up their Halloween celebrations more than any other group
Inspired by social platforms, such as TikTok (32%) and Pinterest (29%), adult costume spending is at its highest in the last five years. Young adults are participating in classic Halloween activities like dressing up and throwing or attending parties more than anyone else.
4. Browsing in-store and online
According to the survey, 2022’s Halloween inspiration mostly comes from online search (36%). While this might sound scary, a quarter of all shoppers plan to gather inspiration from retail stores! This presents retailers with new opportunities to leverage fulfillment solutions such as curbside pickup, ship-from-store and buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS).
We hope we didn’t scare you off with these stats. Interested in learning more? Read the full report here. Do you want to learn how to always have the right products available? Click here
