Are we spending more or less this Halloween?

While Halloween is centred on costumes, treats, tricks, and tales of spooky happenings, a report by the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) focuses on Halloween by the numbers.

According to the RCC, over 80 per cent of Canadians are planning to spend either the same or more as 2022 on all things Halloween. But it seems that most of us make purchases quite late. A little over 34 per cent of those celebrating Halloween make purchases two to four weeks before October 31. 

The Retail Council of Canada is crunching the numbers when it comes to consumer habits for Halloween. (Graphic credit to Retail Council of Canada)

And while half of Canadians will spend $50 or less on Halloween things, the RCC notes that, 'there is a growing percentage Canadians this year who will spend under $50, (51.2% per cent vs 45.7 per cent in 2022). This suggests that those who have traditionally spent less on Halloween may spend even less this year."

And while Big Box stores seem to rake in the lion's share of Canadian's spending money for Halloween, the RCC report noted that more are shopping with local retailers.

"Canadians are eager to support their local retailers this Halloween with 87 per cent ( vs 55.2 per cent in 2022) saying they prefer to support a local shop this year for their Halloween purchases."

It appears that Big Box and Food and beverage retailers take the biggest share of Canadian wallets on Halloween. (Graphic Credit to Retail Council of Canada)

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises is that consumers are not fans of online shopping when it comes to Halloween. In fact this year, only 13 per cent of Canadians prefer to shop online for Halloween.

"In 2022, only 55.2 per cent of Canadians wanted to shop in person due to COVID-19 restrictions."

The report also studied what are the most popular activities for Canadians on All Hallow's Eve, and Trick-or-Treating was at the top of the list, with over 25 per cent saying they will participate, while nearly 22 per cent of Canadians will be watching movies. However, over 33 per cent of Canadians said they didn't participate in any events on October 31. 

The survey was conducted in September 2023, in partnership between Caddle and the RCC.

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