Although traditionally celebrated as an American holiday, Halloween seems to be becoming a bigger celebration year on year in Britain, so much so in fact that soon, the UK is set to become one of the biggest markets for Halloween.
As Halloween gets closer and closer, we’ve had a deeper look into exactly what us Brits spend our money on around this spooky season, and how much we are spending.
Who is spending the most?
It comes as no surprise that 85% of parents with children under 5 spent the most getting into the Halloween spirit last year however, after parents, the next big spenders are actually young millennials, with 77% of them spending money on costumes, make-up and confectionary for the occasion.
How much are we spending?
Way back when in 2001, a measly £12million was spent on Halloween in the UK but since then, we’ve only seen this amount soar. With Halloween products reaching the shelves of stores as early as September now and shoppers still frantically searching for last-minute costumes in the week counting down, it comes as no surprise that last year Brits actually ended up spending £419million on Halloween. This was a 22.5% increase on 2017’s spend of £400million and a huge 3391% increase from 2001!
What are we buying?
From creepy costumes to devilish decorations, it’s fair to say that Brits aren’t just spending money on one particular item at Halloween. In fact, the top most purchased product during this season is actually confectionary with a third of consumers shopping the sweet aisle so they can be prepared for any potential trick-or-treaters.
Back in 2017, a staggering £25.13million was spent by a quarter of Brits on pumpkins alone however last year, the traditional vegetable was left to dust as only 18% chose to purchase one. It stills sits in second place as the most purchased item despite dropping by 7% in one year.
In third place is fancy dress costumes of which more money is actually spent on adult’s costumes than children’s costumes. Decorations are the fourth most purchased items and in fifth place is cosmetics like fake blood and other make-up related items.
Where are we looking for products?
Thanks to the ease, convenience and millions of pictures shared on the internet, it comes as no surprise that this is actually where 35.2% of buyers gather their costume or decoration inspiration for the season. 30.3% of buyers look in retail stores for their scary attire.
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