Halloween Candy Purchases Expected to Slow From Previous Years
By Rachel Gignac on Oct. 24, 2022CHICAGO — Nearly three quarters of consumers (73%) plan to purchase candy for Halloween this year, according to a survey by Numerator conducted with 1,014 individuals from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3. Of those candy buyers, 82% plan to buy chocolate, 63% plan to buy nonchocolate candy, and 6% plan to buy a healthy alternative to candy.
Just more than half of consumers (53%), however, plan to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters this year (down from 62% in previous years), and 33% plan to trick-or-treat themselves (down from 48%).
Click through to learn more Halloween candy insights from Numerator’s report.
Halloween vs. Other Holidays
Compared to previous holidays in 2022, Halloween is projected to be the most "normal."
Forty-three percent of consumers expect inflation to alter their Halloween plans, while 18% expect issues from COVID. This is the lowest point of concern for both issues this year, though. The event with the greatest expected inflation concerns this year was Easter, and the event with the greatest expected COVID effect was the Super Bowl.
Candy Shopping
Halloween planning and shopping usually happens at the start of October, according to Numerator. By the middle of the month, nearly 80% of shoppers will have been in the Halloween mindset, with nearly all households planning one week in advance.
Spending Expectations
Most consumers do not plan to spend more this year compared to prior years. While 59% of respondents plan to spend the same as last year, 17% plan to spend more and 24% plan to spend less.
Twenty-five percent of households plan to spend around $25-$50 on the holiday, with nearly 80% spending less than $100.
While consumers feel there will be less of an impact due to COVID and inflation, there is a decline in consumers who plan to participate across more public festivities, which could contribute to the desire to spend less, the report said.
Food and Drink Purchases
Candy tops the list of Halloween purchases with 73% of households planning to buy for the holiday. Thirty-eight percent of consumers plan to purchase snacks, 21% alcohol beverages and 18% desserts for the holiday.
Chocolate vs. Nonchocolate
Most households (82%) will offer up chocolate, and 63% will offer nonchocolate items. Of those concerned about inflation, three in 10 expect to trade down on top-brand products.
To combat inflation, finding deals is the primary method that consumers said the hope to use, and store shifting, coupons and online shopping are secondary ways to save. Beyond sales, heavy candy shoppers are 43% more likely to rely on private-label brands compared to light shoppers, according to Numerator.
Numerator, based in Chicago, blends first-party data from more than 1 million U.S. households to provide consumer understanding for the market research industry. Numerator provides data for the consumer packaged goods, retailer, home improvement, consumer electronics and quick service restaurant industries.
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