Consumers to celebrate Halloween in new ways this year

Americans are planning to celebrate Halloween despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic; however, they plan on celebrating differently this year, in a much safer way.

According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, more than 148 million US adults plan to participate in Halloween-related activities. Safe at-home activities ranked highest among these participants, with 53 percent planning to decorate their homes and 46 percent planning to carve a pumpkin, both up from last year.

Meanwhile, activities such throwing/attending parties, handing out candy, visiting a haunted house and trick-or-treating are all expected to be down this year. Consumer spending is expected to be down slightly from the $8.78 billion spent in 2019, but consumers will spend more on the activities that will be safe and still ensure a memorable holiday.

“Consumers continue to place importance on celebrating our traditional holidays, even if by untraditional standards,” says NRF president and chief executive officer Matthew Shay. “Retailers are prepared to meet the increased demand for seasonal décor, costumes and other items that allow families the opportunity to observe Halloween safely.”

“Some of the most interesting data concerns younger generations, consumers ages 18-24,” adds Prosper Insights executive vice president of strategy Phil Rist. “Although fewer are celebrating this year, the ones who are aren’t shying away from Halloween-related purchases, spending $11 more on average, primarily on decorations and candy.”

This year offers bakeries an opportunity to appeal to consumers with sweet treats that will add some enjoyment to the pandemic-affected holiday, especially if they can be ordered online and shipped to their doors.