Savvy’s recent Shopper Panel research (Oct 2022) shows the value of the Halloween market is set to fall by 7%.
Increasing sales of spooky costumes looks insufficient to offset a decline in spending on food and drinks for parties. Savvy estimates the total value of the Halloween retail market to be £473.8m* in 2022.
While the cost of living crisis has supressed demand a little, the main reason for the decline is the tough comparative in 2021, which benefited from a post-COVID boost.
Key findings from Savvy’s research include:
- 37% of shoppers plan to get involved in Halloween this year – down from 40% in 2021, which benefited from a post-pandemic boost
- 66% think it’s important to make the most of events like Halloween during the cost of living crisis
- While only 17% of us plan to have a Halloween party, 80% intend to buy sweets for trick or treaters, 54% expect to buy a pumpkin and 48% say they are going to watch a spooky film
- 37% expect to go out trick or treating, raising to 59% among older families
- 61% want to be able to buy sustainable products for Halloween
- 68% would rather buy Halloween products from smaller or local retailers
- 30% will be looking for personalised products – the lowest level of any calendar event
- Supermarkets remain the dominant source of Halloween inspiration, with 84% planning to get ideas from a supermarket store
- Tik Tok emerges as a key source of Halloween inspiration for under 35s, mentioned by 57%
- 69% say that social media is the best place to get ideas for Halloween, rising to 82% among under 35
If you’re interested in this or any of Savvy’s broader event research please get in touch.
* in 2022 Savvy changed the way it calculates market sizes to more accurately reflect the whole range of products bought by shoppers across all retail channels.