As an AdAge.com article points out, this year is bringing something of a reversal for the Halloween and Christmas selling seasons as the former has retailers feeling holiday cheer while the latter has merchants more than a little spooked.
According to the National Retail Federation, sales for Halloween are expected to be up around 14 percent this year to $5.77 billion while the Christmas numbers are projected to be up 2.2 percent.
Roughly two-thirds of consumers are planning to celebrate Halloween up from 59 percent last year. The average expenditure is expected to jump to $66.54 compared to last year's $64.82. Consumers in the 18 to 24-year-old group are expected to be the biggest spenders with purchases of $86.59 per person.
"In general, there's a bit of a backlog, when someone has spent the last nine to 10 months only buying necessities, only focusing on items they can get at great prices," Ellen Davis, vice president at NRF, told Ad Age. "It really has to do more with the mind-set of the shopper. In a lot of ways Halloween and Christmas are really different. We're talking $40 or $50 vs. $800 or $900. It's a lot easier to justify."
"After months of bleak economic news, consumers are looking for a reason to let loose," said Phil Rist, vice president-strategy for BIGresearch, which conducted the survey for NRF. "With Halloween on a Friday this year, consumers may plan to celebrate all weekend long."
Discussion Questions: Are you at all surprised by the size of the expected jump in Halloween sales this year? Do cheery prospects mean retailers can approach Halloween any differently than in the past?