US consumers say they will spend an average of $86.27 on Halloween goods, a slight decline from last year’s record of $86.79.
Data from National Retail Federation (NRF), which tracks Halloween spending yearly through a survey, shows that in two years, Halloween spending in the US fell from $9.1 billion to $8.8 billion.
The survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, revealed a decline in the number of people who planned to celebrate Halloween, from 175 million in 2018 to 172 million this year.
In terms of Halloween purchases, consumers aim to spend $3.2 billion on costumes; $2.6 billion on candy; $2.7 billion on decorations; and $390 million on greeting cards. Majority of those who are celebrating (69 percent) plan to hand out candies. Other top activities are decorating their home or yard (49 percent), dressing in costume (47 percent), carving a pumpkin (44 percent), and throwing or attending a party (32 percent).
“Spending hasn’t changed much over the past few years, but we are seeing a noticeable increase in consumers whose Halloween purchases are inspired by their friends, neighbors and even celebrities on social media. Retailers expect to have another strong Halloween season and have stocked up on candy, decorations and the season’s most popular costumes,” said NRF President and chief executive officer (CEO) Matthew Shay.
Forty two percent of the surveyed shoppers will buy their merchandise from a discount store; 36 percent from a specialty or costume store; 25 percent prefer online shopping; another 25 percent from a grocery store; and 23 percent from the department store.
“Halloween celebrations are primarily for children, and we see many of the same costume choices year after year. Grownups who celebrate may be looking for new ideas, but for children, princesses and superheroes are perennial favorites”, said Prosper Insights Executive Vice President for Strategy Phil Rist.
