3 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 all rally behind spooky season. In 2024, NRF expected Halloween spending to reach a record of $12.2 billion, in comparison to 2023’s record of $10.6 billion.

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

Here are three findings from the research to help plan your Halloween marketing and make shifts as needed throughout the season.

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

While they don’t want to see advertisements until September, one in five consumers start Halloween shopping as early as November and December of the previous year. Sixty-one percent start between April and June—after all, it sometimes takes a while to find just the right costume (wig, makeup and accessories included).

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 (i.e., if someone buys Halloween costumes earlier in the year or right after Halloween, offering complementary products like face paint or orange/purple/black décor to stock up for the Halloween season would make sense). ​

Some highlights from the survey:

• 61% of respondents started their Halloween shopping between April and June of 2025.
• For those who haven't started yet, 43% plan to start in September.
• 38% will wait until October to start their shopping, which is a 28% decrease from 2024.
• Notably, 10% leave their purchases to the last two weeks before Halloween (a 33% decrease year over year).

There’s still time this Halloween season to make an impact from a marketing perspective, as shoppers are actively shopping and many are still looking for items up until October 31.

2. More than 50% of consumers are worried about tariffs impacting prices for Halloween items.​

Inflation and rising costs continue to be a concern for consumers in 2025, but tariffs are adding economic uncertainty and stress even when people are shopping for a fun holiday like Halloween.

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.

Marketers need to keep price in mind as they develop messaging for Halloween campaigns to make sure offers are relevant and timely.​

3. Millennials continue to invest in Halloween more than other generations.​

Compared to other generations, Millennials are more likely to buy a costume every year and tend to overspend on Halloween. Millennials are also more likely to be purchasing for themselves and their children, which may contribute to the higher spending.

To serve this audience better, marketers can offer Halloween bundles featuring top candy and décor items, create all-in-one shopping experiences and give consumers more opportunities to leverage loyalty points during key Halloween shopping dates. ​

So what does this mean for marketers?

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

Here’s a few tips for how to think about your Halloween marketing strategy and how to make the most of the September–October season:

1. Optimize the in-store experience: While consumers shop online for some categories, overall, they tend to shop in-store for Halloween, especially for food and drink, treats and candy. Consider creating shopping hubs in your store that streamline the Halloween shopping experience and let consumers know via your advertising, social media, mobile app and website which items you have available to shop in-store. ​
2. Promotional timing matters: Even though people shop for Halloween throughout the year, more than 80% of consumers start shopping in September and October, so ensure marketing campaigns and ad spend are aligned to those months to make the biggest splash. Over-indexing on dates outside of that window can lead to wasted spend, reduced impact and over-saturating your target audience with repeat messaging.​
3. Investing in social media is increasingly important, but an integrated strategy will make the biggest impact​: As social media continues to rise in influence, it’s important to distribute your ad spend accordingly, keeping your target audience in mind. Channels like advanced TV, display ads and catalogs still play a big role in where consumers shop and what items they buy.​

Want to learn more about how to carve out a winning strategy for Halloween? Download the full report to ensure 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.