4 insights to drive your Halloween marketing plans

From jack-o-lantern decorations to elaborate costumes, Halloween shopping is a seasonal ritual that holds significant potential for marketers.

It’s clear that the holiday is not just for kids—rather, Halloween is a major event for shoppers of all ages. In a lot of ways, it’s a marketer's dream: Halloween celebrations draw a broad demographic, and people across the board can rally behind spooky season. In 2025, NRF expected Halloween spending to reach a record of $13.1 billion, in comparison to 2024’s record of $12.2 billion.

To better understand how shoppers are planning to buy for the 2026 Halloween season, Epsilon Pulse surveyed consumers to see when they plan to start stocking up, what they’re buying and where and how they’re shopping.

Below are four findings from the 2026 research (plus key stats to know for each) to help plan your Halloween marketing strategy and make shifts as needed throughout the season.

4 findings from Epsilon Pulse’s 2026 Halloween research

1. Nearly half of consumers use AI for Halloween shopping.

Just as we've seen AI use increase as tools become more accessible, we're also seeing people turn to AI to help them with Halloween shopping.

Across generations, 45% say they use AI for Halloween shopping, and the percentage jumps to 70% of Gen Z, the highest of all generations.

The top AI use case for Halloween shopping is looking for ideas and inspiration, followed by comparing prices, looking for deals and discounts and exploring and comparing different product types and brands.

Key AI stats from the Halloween shopping research

• 29% would use AI to decide where to purchase a Halloween product (especially Gen Z and millennials).
• 28% would read Halloween product reviews or ratings with AI summaries (jumps to 30% of Gen Z and 33% of millennials).
• 26% would use AI to create a Halloween shopping list.
• 26% would use AI to gather information after making a Halloween purchase (e.g., tutorials, Q&As).
• 55% say they would never use AI for Halloween shopping.

2. People start shopping for Halloween earlier than you’d expect.

While some retail events have a narrow shopping window, consumers think about Halloween all year—after all, it sometimes takes a while to find just the right costume (wig, makeup and accessories included).

When we fielded this survey at the beginning of July, 53% of those who started shopping already said they had started shopping that month for Halloween-related expenses. Twenty-two percent of that same group said they started from April to June, and starting early is more popular with Gen Z and millennials.

Halloween shopping can happen at any time of year, and knowing who may shop earlier is key when it comes to how you talk to them and what products you feature.

Key timing stats from the Halloween shopping research

• 22% of those who started shopping started their Halloween shopping between April and June of 2026.
• For those who haven't started yet, 44% plan to start in September and 40% will wait until October to start their shopping.
• Notably, 11% of those who haven’t started shopping yet leave their purchases to the last two weeks before Halloween, which is especially prominent among boomers.

3. Most consumers expect to spend $270 on Halloween this year and say they enjoy the shopping season.

While inflation and rising costs continue to be a concern for consumers in 2026, consumers have a more positive attitude about Halloween shopping. More than 50% of Gen Z, millennials and Gen X say they look forward to Halloween shopping and that they enjoy planning Halloween events.

That being said, in the current economic climate, consumers are planning to spend the same amount as last year and are still being cost-conscious. To offset anticipated price increases, people are looking for deals and discounts, using items they already have, leveraging coupons and loyalty points and implementing other cost-saving measures to stay on budget while still having enough candy for trick-or-treaters.

Even with a positive consumer sentiment, marketers still need to keep price in mind as they develop messaging for Halloween campaigns to make sure offers are relevant and timely.​

Key financial stats from the Halloween shopping research

• 46% of consumers set a budget for Halloween shopping, with Gen Z especially likely to set one.
• 1 in 3 Gen Z expect to spend more this Halloween, followed by 1 in 4 millennials. Gen Z had the highest year-over-year change in expected spend (+30%) across generations, likely due to more Gen Z having young children who are interested in Halloween.
• 15% of Gen X and 13% of boomers expect to spend less on Halloween.

4. Item type dictates when and where consumers plan to shop.

We asked consumers to share their preferred time to start shopping for Halloween broken down by the following categories:

• Costumes (including for themselves and for their children)
• Food and drink
• Decor
• Party supplies
• Candy and treats

Unsurprisingly, consumers start shopping for perishable items later in the shopping season, while they're more likely to shop for costumes, decor and party supplies earlier in the season and throughout the year. All in all, purchase timing varies significantly by category, creating multiple activation windows across the season.

When we asked them whether they prefer to shop in-store or online for these items, we see a similar story play out. Consumers overwhelmingly prefer to shop in-store for perishable items, while they're more likely to mix in-store and online options for decorations, party supplies and costumes.

Key item category stats from the Halloween shopping research

• 70% say they typically shop for Halloween-related food and drink in October; 65% say the same about candy and treats. A very small percentage buys these items earlier in the season.
• 44% buy their costumes in September (46% buy costumers for their children in the same time period), compared to 35% in October and 11% in July or August.
• Both in-store and online are preferred for buying costumes, decorations and party supplies.
• Gen Z are most likely of all generations to purchase costumes exclusively online, while nearly half of boomers shop for decorations exclusively in-store.

3 ways marketers can succeed during the Halloween shopping season.

By understanding how people shop for Halloween and tailoring marketing strategies accordingly, marketers can effectively reach their target audience and capitalize on the Halloween market.

Here are three tips for how to think about your Halloween marketing strategy.

1. Optimize for AI visibility to reach customers across channels.

With consumers turning to AI for Halloween shopping (especially on the inspiration and price comparison side), the buyer’s journey is changing.

To consistently reach customers across channels, retailers need to tailor web content to increase AI search visibility, ensuring product information is easily accessible and scannable.

It's also important to create Halloween inspiration sections on your website, highlighting user-generated content, inspiration from social media and more.

2. Stay up to date with consumers wherever they are with relevant messaging.

Consumers shop for Halloween items both in-store and online, and they expect information to be correct and updated across channels.

The buyer’s journey is far from linear, so retailers need to invest in tools, processes and systems that help them reach Halloween shoppers with the right message at the right time. You also need to make sure your data is connected across in-store and online channels to support the fragmented consumer journey.

3. Take advantage of first-party data.

Most retailers are still not fully tapping into the rich behavioral and transactional data they can collect during the Halloween shopping season.

To get the most out of this year’s shopping event, retailers should partner with a data solution that can help them actively capture, connect and enrich that data—not just to drive immediate wins but to also lay the groundwork for more efficient and effective campaigns in the future.

The more complete the customer profile, the better positioned marketers will be to deliver timely, relevant offers when it matters most next year.

Want to learn more about how to build a winning strategy for Halloween? Learn how Epsilon Data can help you understand your best customers, their spending behaviors and how to engage them with timely, relevant ads when they’re ready to make Halloween purchases.