It’s Time To Get Spooky!

Happy HalloweenHalloween merchandising is already in full swing.  Are you looking for ideas on how to spruce up your displays?  Halloween is the fourth most popular spending holiday in the US.  People who go shopping for Halloween décor, costumes, candy, etc. are anticipated to spend over $75 on this holiday[1].  So you should keep the ideas and merchandise fresh and mix it up!

If you don’t sell candy or costumes, fret not!   Many consumers throw Halloween parties and they need supplies to make them a success.  Halloween decorations are a big sales driver so if you sell these, make sure you have a fixture pulled together near the front of your store.  Don’t be afraid to start early.  Most consumers love the holidays and will start shopping early.

And don’t forget the 4-legged family members.  Families will spend an estimated $330 million on costumes for their dogs, cats and ferrets.

Get creative when thinking about setting your store up for Halloween success.  You probably have some items that you stock all year that could be worked into a Halloween feature.  Do you sell linens?  Make sure your black, purple, orange, and silver colors are all prominently featured.  And don’t forget about El Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead on November 1.  This Mexican tradition includes many unique and colorful items including brightly colored skulls and fall flowers like marigolds.

If you have a section in your store dedicated to impulse items, fill this with Halloween items.  You will be surprised at how quickly they fly off the shelves!  Simple things like fun masks, pens or pencils, spider, skull or pumpkin-themed jewelry, decorative hand towels, kitchen utensils, and glow necklaces and bracelets are great sellers and people are easily enticed to purchase these items while standing in line near your registers.  Also, if you sell scented candles, this is the time of year to start bringing out your fall scents.  These are great sellers so make sure you have them featured prominently where guests can smell them as they’re shopping.

Some fun facts:

  • Almost 50 % of shoppers begin shopping for Halloween décor, candy and costumes the first couple weeks in October.
  • US consumers will spend approximately $2.6 billion on costumes alone!
  • Almost 10% of people will visit Pinterest to look for costume and party décor ideas.
  • 14% of consumers will spend extra time looking for pet costumes.

Happy Halloween!



[1] Data supplied by National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Halloween Spending Survey
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