Halloween Spending Expected to Reach Record $9.1 Billion
Posted on October 31, 2017
Halloween is becoming a major economic force. Consumers are expected to spend over $9 billion on the holiday this year. The $9.1 billion forecast from the NRF is an 8.3% jump from last year's record Halloween spending of $8.4 billion. Consumers buy candy, costumes, pumpkins and decorations to celebrate Halloween.
NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay, says in a statement, "Americans are planning to spend more than ever as they gear up for Halloween. Retailers are helping customers celebrate in style with a huge selection of costumes, candy and decorations to cater to ghosts and goblins of all ages."
Halloween spending falls into three main categories: costumes, candy and decorations. This year consumers are expected to spend $3.4 billion on costumes, $2.7 billion on candy and $2.7 billion on decorations. Another $410 million will be spent on Halloween greeting cards. The NRF says 71% plan to hand out candy this year and 49% will decorate their home or yard with scary decor.
For costume trends, Google has a Frightgeist that shows the top trending costumes. Wonder Woman has topped the list this year followed by Harley Quinn, Clown (likely because of the popularity of It, Unicorn and Rabbit. For Halloween candy trends, you can find some fun information using Candystore.com's Halloween Candy Map. It shows the most popular candy in each state.
Google also shared this Halloween Google Doodle called Jinx's Night Out. It features a cute littel ghost.