Dive Brief:
- Sales of Halloween-related items spiked earlier than normal this year, with Amazon searches for “Halloween costumes” rising 180% and searches for “Halloween costumes for adults” rising 395% in August, according to trend data published Tuesday by Jungle Scout.
- Consumers of all age groups are most likely to turn first to Amazon when shopping for Halloween products online. The report found that 44% will buy from the e-commerce retail giant first, but just 10% will turn first to the online stores of specialty retailers like Party City or Spirit Halloween. Fifty-six percent of Gen Z and 58% of millennials will go to Amazon first for online Halloween shopping.
- Younger consumers are also most likely to buy online for Halloween, with 29% of Gen Z and millennials each expected to make most of their holiday purchases online. But just 16% of Gen Xers and 5% of baby boomers are likely to buy online, according to the report. Social media platforms are also expected to capture a share of spending this year, with 30% of Gen Z shoppers likely to shop on Instagram.
Dive Insight:
Retailers’ movement toward launching and promoting holiday shopping seasons earlier than in past years is an industrywide trend, Mike Scheschuk, Jungle Scout’s president of small and medium business, told Retail Dive in an email.
“The trend of retailers initiating the holiday shopping season earlier, as seen with events like Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days and Target's Circle Week in October, is a strategic response to competitive pressures and evolving consumer expectations for year-round convenience and cost savings,” Scheschuk said. “This shift reflects the broader retail trend of moving up the start of the holiday shopping season, with retailers aiming to attract early consumer interest and sales for various occasions, including back to school, Halloween, and year-end holidays."
Forty-one percent of millennials are expected to spend more on Halloween this year than last year. According to Jungle Scout, one explanation is that millennials — the oldest of which are in their early 40s — are nearly twice as likely to have children under age 18 than any other generation and therefore are more likely to spend on Halloween items for their kids versus other generations.
The report found that 20% of all respondents will buy costumes and accessories online, along with decorations and party supplies, while 18% plan to buy their Halloween candy online. To obtain the report data, Jungle Scout anonymously surveyed 1,000 U.S. adult consumers in early August about their buying preferences and behaviors. Respondents represented 49 states, all genders and various income levels.
Current big screen releases also appear to be influencing spending for the upcoming holiday. Jungle Scout said its data found that many of the top-selling costumes through September have a tie-in to one of this year’s biggest movies — like “Barbie,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” or “The Little Mermaid.” Other trending costumes this year with a movie or intellectual property connection include Harry Potter and Wednesday Addams.
Jungle Scout also said that 45% of consumers plan to spend less on Halloween this year compared to last year.
That stands in contrast to a report last month from the National Retail Federation that said Halloween spending will reach a record high $12.2 billion this year with more people expected to participate and spend for the holiday year over year. The NRF report also said 73% of about 8,000 surveyed plan to participate in Halloween-related activities this year, up from 69% last year, while per-person spending this season is expected to reach $108.24.
