Skeletons emerge from closets, vampires rise from coffins, and ghosts roam the streets as Halloween creeps up in Australia as this largely American tradition, which has turned into a worldwide phenomenon, continues to gain popularity down under. We see that participation has risen steadily each year as Halloween gains mainstream acceptance. What was once seen as an American novelty has been embraced by Australians, young and old.
For Halloween, retailers need to be exact in their ordering. This type of stock can be tough to get rid of after Halloween. This is one of those holidays that interest the public in brief.
New research shows Australians are more eager than ever to participate in Halloween festivities this year. Total spending is forecast to reach new heights.
Millions of Aussies Catching Halloween Spirit
A spook-tacular 5.3 million Australians now celebrate Halloween, according to data from the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan here. According to it, an extra 300,000 people compared to the 5 million that dressed up, carved pumpkins and went trick-or-treating last year. I have little reason to doubt it, as it was pretty accurate the previous year.
Halloween Spending to Hit $490 Million
Australia's total spending on Halloween is predicted to reach $490 million in 2023.
That's a bone-chilling increase of 8.1% compared to last year.
So where is all this money going? Aussies are splurging on:
- Costumes - 49% of participants purchase a new costume, spending an average of $31 each
- Candy - 39% stock up on lollies and chocolates to hand out on Halloween night, driving over $100 million in supermarket confectionary sales
- Decorations - over one third (36%) decorate their homes with fake cobwebs, skeletons and jack-o-lanterns
- Parties & Events - bars, restaurants, cinemas and more cash in on Halloween's popularity by hosting themed events
Aussie Adults Lead Halloween Growth
While children in creepy costumes may come to mind when you think of Halloween, Australian adults are actually driving this trend.
Australians aged 35-49 years old are the most avid Halloween participants:
- 40% of this age group plan to celebrate Halloween
- That's up 3% from last year.
- It equates to 1 million 35-49-year-old Aussies enjoying Halloween this year - a 190,000 increase.
Parents are helping boost Halloween's popularity by allowing and encouraging their children to join in the celebrations. Mothers and fathers enter the spirit by dressing up and decorating homes.
Beyond parents, young adults without children are embracing Halloween, too. It's becoming a popular date night and a chance to show off creative costumes.
If you want to know the sort of stuff the public is interested in now for Halloween, you should look at costumes, witches' hats, Halloween makeup, masks like Frankenstein and ghosts are popular nowadays, and as always, Harry Potter stuff. One of the pluses of Harry Potter stuff is that it sells well after Halloween.
If you want a quick and instant way of finding out what stock sold in your shop in previous years on Halloween.
Go to Register reports.
Now pick "Top N Stock Sales for a Given Period."
In the form, put in the following dates: 25/10/22 to 31/10/22. A report will come out with what sold over that week.
As time is running out, could you do it now?
