Lowe's to offer curbside trick-or-treating this Halloween

Dive Brief:

Lowe's on Monday announced the launch of its curbside trick-or-treating event at its stores across the country from 6-7 p.m. on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29.
Starting Oct. 10, families can book a spot online for Lowe's Halloween experience at a nearby location, where they then can drive up to get candy and a small pumpkin for free. Costumes are welcome but are not required, the company said.
On Oct. 28, the home improvement retailer is encouraging consumers to carve a pumpkin with a message of gratitude to first responders to celebrate National First Responders Day and share their creations on social media using #BuildThanks.

Dive Insight:

Lowe's is among other retailers engaging with Halloween consumers in new ways this year. The holiday is going to be different for many companies, including Party City, where Halloween accounts for around 20% of its domestic sales.

A National Retail Federation report released in mid-September found that consumer spending during the Halloween season could reach $8.05 billion, a slight dip from $8.78 billion last year because fewer consumers will participate in typical festivities. Plans for handing out candy, visiting haunted houses and trick-or-treating have fallen due to social distancing efforts, according to the organization, even as over 148 million U.S. adults plan to celebrate by decorating their homes, carving a pumpkin or dressing up a pet.

"We know that customers still want to celebrate Halloween, even if the holiday may look different for us this year. While the pandemic has changed many elements of everyday life, the tradition of trick-or-treating doesn't have to be one of them," Joe McFarland, Lowe's executive vice president of stores, said in a statement.

Holiday celebrations aside, Lowe's has pulled ahead as an essential retailer and has invested in ways to attract customers to its stores. The home improvement store is adding contactless pickup lockers to stores in most major metro markets by Thanksgiving. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the retailer has seen an uptick in mobile app downloads and experienced higher sales in the first and second quarters of this year.