An investigation of Halloween shopping habits

With Halloween right around the corner, Savanta wanted to ask Americans what their plan is for costume purchasing decisions.

Halloween is one of the biggest US shopping holidays of the year with more than $8 billion spent each year.

66% of people celebrating Halloween are not at all or only slightly influenced by sustainability in their purchasing choices.

In a poll conducted on October 21st, two-thirds of Americans are celebrating Halloween this year, including 70% of Gen Z and Millennials planning on celebrating. Of those celebrating, 72% of Americans plan on wearing one or more costumes this season, with 84% of Gen Z also wearing costumes of some kind.

And with many Halloween goers figuring out what to wear, inspiration for the majority of costumes comes from either a movie, TV show, or pop-culture reference (62%). Of those celebrating Halloween, 68% of Gen Zs chose an outfit inspired by a film, TV show, or pop-culture event that came out in the past year.

Are people reusing their costumes?

The majority of Americans planning to wear a costume this year have decided to get a new costume. 60% of Americans who plan to wear a costume this Halloween season purchase at least one of their Halloween costumes new, including 65% of millennials and 68% of Gen Z stating they are wearing new.

Where are Americans getting their costumes from?

Among Americans who plan to purchase a new costume, the majority are choosing either a Halloween specialized store or event-themed store (51%), with a close second being Amazon as people’s go-to (48%). Only 23% of Americans who plan to wear a costume this year buy at least one of their costumes from a local or online second-hand store/marketplace.

How much are people willing to spend on costumes?

People are willing to spend a decent amount on their costumes this year. 1 in 4 Americans who are buying a new costume are spending up to $50 on their costume. 44% high income individuals are spending up to $100 on their new costume, and 87% of low and medium-income individuals are willing to spend up to $50 on their costume. There are some individuals looking to make their costume from scratch, although their reason being to save some cash this spooky season (36%).

Is choosing sustainable options out the window for Halloween?

The majority of Americans have seemed to abandon sustainable initiatives for the Halloween season, based on their purchasing decisions, with the majority wanting to purchase new, and from larger store and online platforms. 66% of people celebrating Halloween are not at all or only slightly influenced by sustainability in their purchasing choices.

Shopping habits around the holidays change slightly every year – some people are motivated by price and will take thrift over quality, while others will make their costumes themselves, or recycle from earlier years.

The holiday season is the most profitable for many companies, starting at the end of October with Halloween and followed by Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And it’s easy to see why: most companies take advantage of this period with many deals and sales, including Amazon that has a growing number of deals for both Halloween and Black Friday shoppers.

Get ready for trick-or-treating!