Retailer’s Shouldn’t Forget Halloween

It has become the habit of the retail world to begin selling Christmas merchandise
earlier and earlier each year. The popular consumer affair blog The Consumerist even
humorously keeps track of sightings made of Christmas decorations as they appear
in various retail chain stores.

In many ways this makes sense, the importance of Christmas to retail businesses is impossible to overstate. With the exception of the grocery industry, Thanksgiving has all but disappeared from the retail calendar and it looks like Halloween is in danger as well. This may be a mistake that retail stores and online businesses can not afford to make.

Make no mistake about it, Halloween is big business. The U.S. Census Bureau tells us
that last year 41 million children went trick-or-treating. The bureau also says that
the nation consumes 24lbs of candy per person every year and that a slim majority is consumed
Halloween night or the day after. This is a market retailers can ill afford to ignore.

A retailer organizations consumer survey done a few years ago learned that 65% of adults plan
to attend a Halloween party or participate in some other Halloween activity. They also
found that the country spends $950 million on candy and another $1 billion on Halloween
costumes. This is not to mention the amount spent on decorations,non-costume apparel,
and pumpkins. American Express has estimated that the total is around $7 billion.

So don’t break out the tinsel and holly just yet.