With Halloween coming only a few days ago, retailers and service providers all over the UK are experiencing a bounce in undertaking. This trend is an indication that the holiday has really caught on more than ever! Our locally-owned businesses are having some of the best years on record. Consumers are thrilled to welcome the spooky season sooner than ever.
Halloween has become Charlotte Brennan’s second-busiest season at her Bloom & Brew shop in Ormskirk, England, and she couldn’t be happier. Only Christmas beats it out in popularity! It’s why this year, her downtown gift shop and café are thriving. They just came off their busiest Halloween season… ever. Notably, she continues, shoppers are still searching for decorative goods with a point of difference. Usually, they purchase just one or two reusable items to develop a seasonal line that reflects their loved ones’ favorite Christmas memories.
“It’s been our busiest year yet for Halloween,” – Charlotte Brennan
Cross-Pacific coordination is not limited to Brennan’s shop. According to data from Worldpanel, we are seeing Halloween spending stretched over a longer time frame. As of early October, over one million shoppers had already swarmed grocery stores to purchase pumpkins. These purchases created an equally staggering £1.4 million in combined sales within the past four weeks. This is almost two times the amount spent during that same time frame last year.
Owens, who runs a diversified family farm business in Herefordshire, has enjoyed the upsurge in pumpkin popularity. He opened his pumpkin patch in 2021 as well. In just one short season, it has more than doubled its visitor traffic, offering families the opportunity to select their ideal Halloween carving pumpkins. Owens pointed out how much Halloween celebrations have changed in just the last few years. He spoke about how different the landscape of the holiday has become.
“Halloween in this country has grown massively. When I was growing up there was barely trick-or-treating, there was just The Simpsons Halloween special [on TV]. Now it’s everywhere,” – Andy Owens
Fiona Eastwood, CEO of Merlin Entertainment Further emphasizing the financial importance of Halloween, particularly for entertainment centres, Eastwood reflects on the operation’s six-week Halloween window. She adds that the run-up to Halloween now competes with the best summer months in terms of profitability at some of these locations. This impulse reveals just how far Halloween has moved beyond its historical roots grounded in children’s fun.
This year, analysts are particularly keen to underscore the wider implications of Halloween spending trends. Vikash Kaansili, senior retail analyst at Kantar, invites that Halloween shopping goes beyond costumery and jack-o-lanterns. He attributes that in part to a terrific 37% increase in retail spending on Halloween and autumn decorations. That was just based on the two week period just past each year, compared to baseline averages.
“Halloween is no longer just for kids. The growth in sales of pyjamas and candles suggests adults are embracing Halloween as an opportunity for a night in at home, not just for children’s trick-or-treating,” – Vikash Kaansili
Brennan further points out the effect social media trends are having on consumer behavior leading up to Halloween. She points out that platforms such as TikTok began generating buzz as early as July. This built anticipation for their upcoming seasonal offerings.
“People have been asking for pumpkin spiced lattes since August, so I feel like it’s getting earlier,” – Charlotte Brennan
As pumpkins continue to be the unofficial symbol of Halloween, consumers are purchasing them earlier than ever. Candle and pajamas sales have surged by close to 20%. This sugary trend paints a picture of how the holiday is changing beyond just pumpkins and candy corn.
Even with persistent inflation squeezing every dollar out of households and changing consumer behavior, Kaansili refuses to admit that Halloween is in jeopardy. His other big takeaway — during the two weeks leading up to Halloween this year, shoppers made more shopping trips. Perhaps most impressively, they raised 16% more than average — an indication that this new opportunity is quickly becoming a “can’t-miss” event.