The trend: Retailers are wasting no time filling shelves with Halloween goods to entice cost-conscious shoppers to treat themselves with seasonal items.
The examples:
- Target this week released limited-edition Halloween Stanley cups, about a month after dropping more than 1,500 Halloween items online that include everything from gold snakeskin taper candles to fringed pumpkins to iridescent witch hats. The retailer says it is keeping its assortment on-trend, with one-third of its candy and three-quarters of its home lineup new this year.
- Home Depot, which launched its Halloween lineup in early August, is selling staples like the 12-foot Skelly and 7-foot Skelly’s Dog, plus new items such as a 6.5-foot “Ultra Skelly” that’s app-controlled and animated. It also partnered with Universal Products & Experiences on exclusives like a 3.5-foot animated LED Chucky Doll and a 6-foot animated LED Bride of Frankenstein.
- Lowe’s began selling Halloween items on its website and launched early in-store sales on July 15 before rolling out more broadly in mid-August. Its lineup includes a motion-activated 3-foot “Party Skeleton” decked out in headphones, gloves, and shoes.
- Build-A-Bear, which reported its best Halloween ever last year, said in late August it has already seen strong year-over-year comparisons and solid quarter-to-date sales thanks to releases like Halloween-themed Mini Beans—such as a candy corn Longhorn—along with Pumpkin Kitty, Zombie Axolotl, and a Posable Bat that’s on track to sell out.
- While Spirit Halloween is keeping its store count flat this year, the seasonal chain is leaning on an “immersive” in-store experience that includes a haunted subway platform dubbed “Madison Square Park,” new animatronics with dual 180-degree rotational motors in “Twisted Grandma,” and advanced motion tracking in a new “Jack the Reaper” animatronic.
This early push comes just a few months after several retailers featured “Summerween” collections with quirky items like watermelon jack-o’-lanterns and Hawaiian-shirted ghost plushies.
Our take: Halloween gives retailers the perfect opportunity to convince consumers to treat themselves—even when they’re spooked about the economy.
- 75% of US adults say they’re likely to buy products tied to special occasions like Halloween, a figure consistent across age groups, per YouGov.
- Since the pandemic, Halloween spending has surged. Even with last year’s dip—to $11.6 billion from $12.2 billion in 2023—spending was still up nearly 32% from 2019, according to NRF.
Many retailers doubled down on Halloween earlier this year, rushing imports ahead of Trump administration tariffs. That move could prove savvy: Most Halloween goods come from China, and the Halloween and Costume Association has warned tariffs may make prices downright scary—with costumes jumping from $19.99 to $39.99, and basic masks doubling from $4.99 to $9.99 or more. Retailers that placed those bets may reap the rewards, while those that held off could be haunted by regret.