A National Retail Federation report – the annual Halloween Spending Survey – has revealed that American consumers are looking for new ways to celebrate Halloween this year, when faced with restrictions on socialising and celebrating.
According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey (conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics), more than 148 million adults plan to participate in Halloween-related activities across America. Among those, 53% will be celebrating at home and decorating their houses, 46% will be getting dressed up and 62% will be happy to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, depsite just 23% planning on going out themselves.
“Consumers continue to place importance on celebrating our traditional holidays, even if by untraditional standards,” said NRF president and ceo Matthew Shay. “Retailers are prepared to meet the increased demand for seasonal décor, costumes and other items that allow families the opportunity to observe Halloween safely.”
More than three-quarters of respondents have said their celebration plans have been impacted, with overall participation down to 58%. Plans for parties, trick-or-treating, visiting haunted houses have largely been put to one side, with 17% saying they plan to celebrate virtually.
Consumer spending is expected to reach $8.05 billion, down slightly from $8.78 billion in 2019, due to the drop in participation. However, consumers who are engaging are spending more toensure a memorable holiday – average spend is $92.12, compared with $86.27 in 2019.
“Some of the most interesting data concerns younger generations, consumers ages 18-24,” said Prosper Insights evp of Strategy Phil Rist. “Although fewer are celebrating this year, the ones who are aren’t shying away from Halloween-related purchases, spending $11 more on average.”
The NRF survey asked 7,644 Americans about their Halloween shopping plans in September.
