This year Halloween will be a treat for retailers, with the event forecast to be worth £491m in 2018 (up 2.1% on last year) as consumers invest in the spooky occasion, according to a spookily well-timed study.
Halloween clothing and costumes remain the greatest opportunity for retailers to capitalise on this occasion, with the category making up over a third of Halloween spend and forecast to grow 3.4% on 2017.
Celebrity influencers, such as Heidi Klum and Perrie Edwards have ensured that UK shoppers alike are investing in new and inventive costumes, guaranteeing that both clothing and beauty retailers are set to benefit from this event.
Zoe Mills, Retail Analyst at GlobalData explains her findings: “More clothing specialists are recognising the appeal of Halloween in the UK, with retailers creating visual displays highlighting Halloween clothing instore alongside accessories and makeup. The focus this year is clearly on accessorising costumes, with animal-ear headbands available from a number of stores – reminiscent of the 2004 film Mean Girls Halloween scene.”
Mills continues: “Netflix inspires a darker side of the celebrations with a gruesome approach to the event, launching a number of horror programmes in the run up to the occasion. Topshop also continued its partnership with the video-streaming service, teaming up with its Chilling Adventures of Sabrina this year, giving its customers access to the first peak of the new show’s trailer earlier this month.”
As with costumes, the focus is on excess within Halloween decorations, with a greater choice in home accessories from lighting to ornamental decorations to turn shoppers’ homes into the haunted mansion of their dreams.
Mills concludes: “Social media continues to influence UK shoppers and the occasion offers consumers the prime opportunity to tweet, snap or post their Halloween home makeovers. The pumpkins purpose in the event has also been revamped this year with more shoppers choosing pumpkin picking as a family leisure activity. New, alternative fruits and vegetables are also set to be carved into ghoulish shapes with butternut squashes and pineapples on the menu this year.”
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