As the leaves begin to fall and the air becomes crisp, shoppers throughout the UK are getting ready for Halloween. This excitement marks a historic change toward clean transportation in the way they spend. Retailers are having the best sales—they’re just blowing out—this is like record sales. For some, Halloween has become an annual cash bonanza, second only to Christmas. So far, this year’s Halloween shopping season is the most active on record. These increasing consumer habits, coupled with the momentum of social media, are making this shift possible.
Charlotte Brennan, owner of Bloom & Brew in Ormskirk, says that Halloween is now her second-busiest time of year. And her gift shop and café just had their busiest Halloween season ever. “It’s been our busiest year yet for Halloween,” she remarked, noting the growing demand for festive items. An unexpected phenomenon has been the large number of customers wanting to purchase reusable decorative items, much like the trend we saw during the Christmas season.
As soon as back-to-school shopping was over, Brennan saw a huge change in consumer spending. “People have been asking for pumpkin spiced lattes since August, so I feel like it’s getting earlier,” she added, highlighting how the seasonal transition has sparked a rush toward “cosy” autumnal purchases.
The Halloween momentum doesn’t stop at the arms race among national retailers. It reaches bigger entertainment companies. Merlin Entertainment chief executive Fiona Eastwood noted that the run-up to Halloween has become a huge money-maker. In fact, it has even recently topped their previous busiest summers at a number of their venues. “Take Thorpe Park: increasingly Halloween is almost half of its annual profit,” she explained. As Universal Studios Orlando has leaned into this trend by launching themed rides mostly in the dark. Those bespoke, themed mazes now attract adrenaline junkies hoping to get their blood pumping during the Halloween season.
In rural Herefordshire, Andy Owens’ family farm has experienced a notable increase in business due to its pumpkin patch, which has more than doubled in size since its establishment in 2021. Families across his state head to his farm to pick out pumpkins for Halloween carving. This boom in pumpkin picking is indicative of Americans’ increasing excitement about celebrating Halloween. “Halloween in this country has grown massively,” Owens said. “When I was growing up there was barely trick-or-treating; now it’s everywhere.”
The surge in Halloween dollars isn’t just going toward old-school decorations and costumes. Vikash Kaansili, a senior retail analyst at Kantar, emphasizes that Halloween spending encompasses more than just dressing up and carving pumpkins. According to the latest Worldpanel data, retail spending on Halloween and other autumn-themed categories grew by 37%. This jump is a testament to shoppers’ enthusiasm in the weeks leading up to October 31, 2024.
With Halloween around the corner, shoppers are still going into stores and making more trips. This year shoppers are set to shell out 16% more than average, suggesting that Halloween has grown into a “do-it-or-else” event, despite still prevalent cost-of-living pressures. Kaansili noted, “Despite cost-of-living pressures, Halloween continues to prove resilient.”
Sales numbers just recently released support that assertion. By the beginning of October, more than a million shoppers have taken pumpkins home from their local grocery stores, collectively spending £1.4m—just in the past month. Just last year, over the same period, consumers shelled out close to £1 million on pumpkins. This sum nearly included double the expenditures compared to the old year.
Sales of both candles and pyjamas have jumped by almost a fifth (18%) in the run up to Halloween. This trend is indicative of adults really taking back the holiday for more intimate and comforting evenings spent at home, as opposed to only focusing on kids’ trick-or-treating adventures. Kaansili commented on this shift: “Halloween is no longer just for kids.”
With Halloween around the corner, retailers are still learning to dance to the shifting consumer tune largely dictated by social media fads. Shutterstock Platforms such as TikTok are already lighting up the holiday spirit months before. Users are posting some really creative food and decor ideas that can get people thinking about shopping early.