CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has published a 2022 Halloween Preview Report to identify how consumers plan to celebrate, shop and spend for the upcoming holiday. Overall, while concern regarding both COVID-19 and inflation continues to decline, consumers say they are less likely to attend typical Halloween celebrations and are planning spending cutbacks on Halloween decor, costumes and candy.

Halloween 2022 Consumer Sentiment Findings:

• Plans for typical Halloween celebrations are down in 2022. More than three-quarters (77%) of consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year, but many are making changes to their celebrations. Over half (53%) of consumers plan to hand out candy this year (down from 62% in previous years), 33% plan to trick-or-treat (down from 48%), 29% plan to visit a pumpkin patch (down from 40%), and 17% plan to attend or host a party (down from 28%). 
• Chocolate reigns supreme for those handing out treats. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers plan to buy candy for Halloween 2022. Of those candy buyers, 82% plan to buy chocolate and 63% plan to buy non-chocolate candy. Fewer than one in 10 (6%) plan to buy a healthy alternative to candy.
• Two in five Halloween shoppers plan to buy pumpkins. While candy is by far the most purchased Halloween category, nearly half of consumers (45%) plan to buy holiday decorations and 43% plan to buy pumpkins. Other planned Halloween purchases include snacks (38% of consumers), costumes & apparel (35%), alcoholic beverages (21%), arts & crafts supplies (18%) and desserts (17%).
• Most consumers plan to shop in-store for their Halloween items. 84% of consumers intend to shop in-person, with over half (54%) planning to shop at mass retailers, 42% at grocery stores, 29% at club stores, and 16% at drug stores. 
• Online shoppers prefer Amazon for Halloween purchases. Nearly one in three shoppers (32%) plan to buy their Halloween items online, with 85% planning to shop at Amazon and 47% planning to shop at Walmart.com.
• Rising prices are concerning for consumers, but inflation impact is lower for Halloween than previous holidays. Fewer than half (43%) of consumers expect a moderate or significant impact due to inflation, the lowest percentage of any 2022 holiday. Among those consumers who expect an inflation impact:
  • Consumers plan to reduce and reuse to offset inflation. Nearly 3 in 10 consumers (29%) expect to trade down to cheaper candy brands, 25% plan to reuse costumes from past years, and 17% say their Halloween costumes will be less extravagant this year to help reduce costs.
  • Consumers will use everyday savings techniques to combat inflation. 66% of consumers plan to buy items on sale, 39% will shop at dollar or discount stores, 37% will use more coupons, and 33% will look for online deals.
  • Inflation might not be as impactful as prior holidays, but some categories will see reduced spending. The top categories where consumers are planning spending cutbacks include holiday decorations (32% of consumers), apparel and costumes (29%), candy (28%), pumpkins (21%) and snacks (15%).

Numerator’s 2022 Halloween survey was fielded 9/27/22 – 10/3/22 to 1,014 consumers.

About Numerator:

Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research.  Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million US households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 2,000 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands’ manufacturers are Numerator clients.

Bob Richter
Numerator
212-802-8588
press@numerator.com