Why Halloween is a cash grab for retailers
Everyone loves Halloween. As a child, there was nothing better than getting dressed up as a vampire or a werewolf and going out to scare your neighbours. Even as you get older, the holiday turns into a booze filled party for you and your friends.
However, nobody loves Halloween more than shopkeepers. They see the spooky season as no more than an opportunity to sell scary costumes at reasonable prices, to lure in the average shopper. Parents are drawn in by kids whining about how much they want the vampire cape or the fake blood or the witch face makeup.
Most major retailers will sell Halloween themed items. Massive supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s jump on the cash cow that is Halloween costumes and place them right at the front of their shop, ready to catch people’s eyes.
We can’t blame them for this either. According to data analytics company GlobalData, UK retailers saw a rise by 2.4 percent in spending on Halloween items, which took the national amount up to nearly £500 million last year.
Costumes unsurprisingly make up a third of all Halloween spend due to the attractive nature of the colours on them.
GlobalData analyst Zoe Mills said: “More clothing specialists are recognising the appeal of Halloween in the UK, with retailers creating visual displays highlighting Halloween clothing in-store alongside accessories and makeup.”
The data proves that the average shopper is encouraged to spend more, with retailers being the ultimate benefactor by exploiting this popular holiday.
Further studies showed that 61 per cent of people who are planning to celebrate Halloween plan on doing their shopping there.
Next time you’re in shopping and you see a Halloween display, just take a moment to think about how much the retailer is set to make off of your spooky spend.
