It’s not too late to cash in on Halloween’s unprecedented popularity and boost
eCommerce sales.
Halloween is all about disguises, from superheroes to slashers, princesses to
politicians, to name a few of this year’s most popular outfits. However, the popularity
of this autumn holiday cannot be denied. Take a look at the online Halloween sales.
The amount of money spent on Halloween items by consumers online and in stores
is “frightening” — more than $82 per purchaser.

Halloween spending is predicted to hit $10 billion this year, up from $9 billion last
year and an all-time high, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual study.
More than 171 million Americans are expected to spend $3.1 billion on costumes,
$2.4 billion on decorations, and $390 million on greeting cards.

In fact, consumer spending on Halloween is higher than on other major retail
holidays, even surpassing Valentine’s Day in some categories. Nearly 70% of
consumers polled in the NRF’s Halloween study indicate they plan to celebrate the
holiday in some way, including parties, trick-or-treating, and decorating and dressing
up. In a similar Valentine’s Day study, just over 54% of respondents said they would
celebrate and spend time on the occasion. Even Halloween candy spending, which
is expected to reach a new high of $2.5 billion this year, outstrips Valentine’s Day
sweets spending, which reached $1.6 billion this year.

Is it too late for you to join in the fun? No, that is not the case. While September and
the middle of October are the busiest shopping months, late consumers account for
22% of the market, meaning about $2 billion is still on the table in mid to late
October. So, what should a store do? It’s frighteningly easy to interact with
customers, provide a personalized experience, and increase sales when you have a
versatile eCommerce platform in place.

Halloween’s Influence on E-Commerce Marketing.

From the gaming sector to social media and, of course, e-commerce enterprises,
everyone is looking forward to Halloween. The mood, unique discounts, and effective
after-sales are all important components of a successful online Halloween marketing
campaign. Last year’s Halloween retail expenditure was projected at $9 billion,
according to the National Retail Federation’s annual study.

The reason for this high number is that the holiday is affordable, less expensive than
Christmas, and still enjoyable. This event has historically been advantageous to e-
commerce, as customers boost their activity and begin their Halloween shopping on
the night of the holiday. Given that it is October, now is the best time to begin
planning for the Halloween buying season.

Nextopia has a fascinating infographic highlighting how Halloween affects
eCommerce retailers. Some of the infographic’s highlights include:

• In 2020, 158 million Americans celebrated Halloween.
• Halloween costumes cost $6.9 billion in the United States (both online and
  offline).
• 41% of Halloween buyers plan to purchase holiday items online.
• Costumes, 59% decorations and accessories are purchased by 71 % of
  Halloween internet buyers.
• 32.9 % will look for Halloween costumes on the internet.
• Before October, 32.8 % will begin purchasing Halloween things online,
  followed by 43.6 % at the start of October, and 23.6 % by the end of October.
• Before Halloween, 49% of internet retailers initiated a holiday campaign.

99minds has compiled a list of Halloween marketing ideas that can scare your
competitors’ sales.

• The release of a limited-edition Halloween collection.

Halloween allows you to introduce a product line only once a year, one that can also
be used in the busier Christmas season that follows. It may be too late for you to
consider this before Halloween this year, but there are plenty of options to pursue
the concept in the future to receive your own limited edition Halloween products. This
doesn’t have to be a brand-new product for your firm, but it should be something you
can tailor to the season.

• Heat the iron to the right spot.

According to Google Trends, individuals search for the word “Halloween” for a week
before the holiday, although it can begin as early as August. This means you have till
the end of October at the very least to make some Halloween bargains and special
offers. You might have a better idea of what you’re doing two weeks before
Halloween. Early in October, you can start sending Halloween blog entries,
promoting on social media, and sending emails.

• Promotions tailored to a certain location.

Notification alerts linked to mobile apps are a great method to remind customers of
promotional deals, discounts, and celebrations at any time. Although not all
smartphone users have push notifications enabled, a fast data analysis can reveal
how frequently customers view or react to messages. If you have a real address or
store, combining push alerts with geotasking makes them much more useful.
That being said, you can always rely on third-party services like 99minds for this.
You may generate coupons, gift cards, discounts, referrals, loyalty programmes, and
location-based promotions for your customers using the 99minds platform.

• Design your own unique gift cards.

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean the bargains have to be as well.
We’re all having a good time here, so why not give your most loyal customers a
Halloween gift card with their name on it and some spooky glitter on it, so they can
come back later and hunt for something else to buy from you?
A trick-or-treat bag of candies, given with every purchase, is another great way to
thank your consumers for picking your store for Halloween shopping. If kids use
these candies in a nice-looking reusable bag during the next year’s holiday, it will
serve as a remembrance of your business.

• Create a mobile version of your Halloween website.

Are you prepared to generate a sale to your store with more than 54% of online
shopping? Shoppers’ choices for mobile devices continue to expand, according to
dynamic research and polls. Make it easy for your customers to find and buy the
things they need from anywhere, at any time. Rather than working on desktop
computers, online buyers are shifting their focus to mobile devices.
With the rise of smartphone-based online shopping, you can’t afford to ignore the
reality that your website needs to be mobile-friendly. Design a mobile-responsive
website or tweak your existing website to be mobile-responsive to avoid getting
trapped in this spider’s web. This will make your customer’s purchasing experience
more pleasant. With just one touch, your consumer may finish the transaction as if
by magic.

• Leverage from the fact that your consumers are looking for Halloween ideas
  online.

According to the National Retail Federation, 35% of buyers hunt for Halloween ideas
on the internet (compared to 28% who looked for inspiration in stores). This means
that shoppers are now using search engines not only to find a specific product, but
also to browse for ideas and inspiration before deciding what to buy. In other words,
your clients use search engines when they know they want something (for example,
a Halloween costume) but aren’t sure what it is or where to search for it.

Final Words

As millennials become some of the greatest Halloween spenders, their increased
use of online businesses and E-commerce platforms is driving up online spending
over the season. In the future, e-commerce companies should begin to take
advantage of this potential to boost Holiday sales.
For E-commerce enterprises, all of the above ideas create a great Halloween
package. To attract potential clients, you can use a variety of strategies such as
influencer marketing, email marketing, bundle offers, and push alerts. You should
add or remove ideas based on your preferences.