Halloween is around the corner and beside the ghouls and goblins, candy is another thing which is synonymous with the celebration. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the total spend in 2018 for candy on Halloween was an astounding $2.6 billion.
2019 Halloween Spending
With billions being spent on candy, the next obvious question is, which are the most popular candies? This what the new infographic from RetailMeNot looks to find out. And If you have a sweet tooth, chances are you will find your favorite candy on this list.
As a small business owner, the fact that people are going to spend billions on candies and even more on costumes is a great opportunity. Even if you don’t specialize on these items, you can take part in the festivities by providing costumes, candies, and even food for the occasion. But if you happen to sell candies or plan on doing so for Halloween, here are the favorites for this year.
America’s Favorite Candies
Did you know more than 400 million individual M&Ms are made every day in the U.S.? So, it is not that surprising this candy is a perennial favorite, landing on the top 3 of favorite candies year in and year out. According to the infographic, M&Ms jumped by 11% from 47% in 2018 to 58% in 2019. This is the biggest jump among all the candies on the list.
Last year’s favorite, Reese’s Cups is down from 57% to 54%. And even though it is slightly down, it is relatively the same compared to 2018. It is the one candy with the least amount of fluctuation.
Coming in at number three is KitKat, with an increase of 8% from last year’s 47% to 55% in 2019. The rest of the favorite candies are, Snickers at (53%), Candy Corn (33%), and Skittles at (32%).
In addition to candy, Americans are going to spend $58 on food and $37 on drinks this year, which are higher than $47 and $31 in 2018 respectively. When it comes to costumes, the spending is going to jump by $11 in 2019 from the $60 of 2018.
The increase in spending is being driven by social media, especially when it comes to costumes. This according to the NRF.
Social Media and Costumes
By far, the biggest inspiration for Halloween costumes these days is social media. People are using different social media platforms to get inspired and see what is popular. And they are making their purchases based on what they see on their favorite channel.
The NRF says 35% of consumers use social media, followed by in-store browsing at 28% and getting ideas from friends at 20%. The number one source for costume ideas in 2019 is Pinterest, with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter following. But not everyone is using the same channels.
Men and women have different preferences for their Halloween inspiration. Twenty-five percent of women prefer Pinterest compared to only 12% of men. On the other hand, the preferred choice for men is YouTube at 19% compared to 10% of women. Instagram is split almost equally with 15% form women and 14% for men.
Marketing for Halloween
If you plan on selling Halloween related items this year, make sure to use these data points to address your audience. Whether you are going to sell candies, costumes, or food and beverage, you can optimize your marketing by selecting and going after a certain group.
The National Retail Federation is a good source for all things retail. The organization has a large volume of research you can access any time of year and not just Halloween. So as the holiday shopping season comes around, make sure to take a look at the resource they have available.
Image: Depositphotos.com
I guess it still depends on the actual spending. But there is greater interest in halloween so the spending may be higher.
I guess it is because of the demand. It just keeps increasing year by year.
And if stores can come up with unique concepts, then it will surely get more sales for the halloween season.