Although promising, the global spending numbers for Halloween 2025 can be misleading when considered out of context.
While 73% of Americans plan to take part in festivities, 79% of shoppers anticipate an increase in prices due to higher import costs and tariffs, prompting 47% of consumers to shop for Halloween at discount stores.
Additionally, many consumers will start shopping for Halloween in September to find the most affordable deals for the items they’d like to get for the festivities.
As a result, sellers on online marketplaces should start their Halloween promotions early and continue running them until October 31 to capture last-minute shoppers.
The inflation will also significantly impact consumer behavior as Gen Z and millennial shoppers turn towards budget-friendly, reusable DIY scary decorations they can easily repurpose for other holidays.
Consequently, sellers should adapt to these trends to attract young audiences and increase their revenues during this holiday. Let’s explore further the statistics and shopping trends that will shape Halloween 2025.
Key takeaways
- Shoppers in the US will spend $114.45 per person during Halloween 2025
- 96% of consumers plan to purchase candy and spend $34.24 per person on sweet treats.
- The early bird shoppers start their Halloween shopping in September.
- Last-minute shoppers are expected to increase the total sales by 15% during the week before Halloween.
- Gen Z shoppers are more likely to delay their purchases as they search for last-minute deals and promotions.
- A witch, vampire, and pirate will be the most popular Halloween costumes for adults in 2025.
The overview of Halloween’s worldwide popularity in 2025
Sellers on international online marketplaces must make significant investments to capitalize on the sales opportunities presented by Halloween.
These investments range from increasing the budgets for listing promotion on online marketplaces and creating unique content reflecting the holiday spirit to implementing seasonal keywords into listing titles and product descriptions.
Due to its immense popularity, it’s easy to forget that Halloween isn’t equally popular in all markets. For instance, in China, Halloween is overshadowed by the traditional days of the dead, celebrated in early April.
In Germany and the Netherlands, Halloween is overshadowed by St. Martin’s Day, celebrated on November 11.
It’s also worth noting that in countries like Ireland, Halloween overlaps with local holidays, so sellers on online marketplaces should carefully craft strategies to attract shoppers celebrating Halloween.
However, the latest research shows that the popularity of Halloween is on the rise in major online markets like France, Australia, and India, suggesting that online sellers with a presence in these markets can benefit from offering Halloween discounts and promotions.
What’s more, sellers who offer their products on several international marketplaces should do their due diligence and research the consumer behavior in the weeks leading up to Halloween to understand whether investing in promotional activities during this time can pay off.
Who will be the biggest spenders on Halloween 2025?
Shoppers in the US are traditionally the biggest spenders on Halloween, and this trend will continue in 2025.
The average Halloween budget of a US consumer is projected at $114.45, an $11 increase from the year before.
Furthermore, 96% of consumers taking part in Halloween celebrations plan to purchase a sweet treat, while 78% of shoppers intend to buy decorations, and 71% of shoppers plan to purchase costumes.
Gen Z and millennial shoppers are expected to be the most active during the weeks leading up to Halloween, targeting reusable and refurbished outdoor decorations like smart projectors with downloadable Halloween scenes and LED light setups.
Although younger demographics are expected to spend the most on Halloween, Gen X and Baby Boomer shoppers still choose to celebrate this holiday, but without breaking the bank.
The way most consumers plan to spend the holiday will also guide purchasing decisions, as top Halloween activities include:
- Handing out candy to trick or treaters(66%)
- Dressing up in a costume (51%)
- Decorating the yard or home (51%)
- Carving a pumpkin (46%)
- Attending or throwing a party (32%)
- Visiting a haunted house (24%)
- Dressing up a pet (23%)
The hottest Halloween 2025 shopping trends
Every year, millions of consumers turn to social media for inspiration when planning their fun Halloween night costumes and decorations.
Consequently, online sellers should follow the latest social media trends to better understand the products shoppers will seek before October 31.
For instance, makeup is gaining popularity as shoppers search for temporary tattoos and body paint to complement their costumes inspired by Disney characters or pop culture icons.
Moreover, the demand for gothic aesthetics goes beyond costume selection, as a substantial number of shoppers search for accessories and decorations that reflect this style in the weeks before Halloween.
According to early projections, US consumers plan to spend approximately $0.86 billion on pet costumes, indicating that this relatively new trend will continue to rise in popularity as more and more people decide to include their furry friends in the Halloween celebrations.
Additionally, recent data suggest that shoppers will be prioritizing creativity, which in turn will create a demand for budget-friendly DIY decorations with a focus on virtual experiences and app-generated items.
The eerily popular products during the spooky season
Products from only a handful of categories dominated sales during Halloween 2024.
Candy, costumes, decorations, and greeting cards will remain the most popular product categories among Halloween shoppers in 2025.
According to the National Retail Federation, 96% of consumers intending to celebrate Halloween will purchase candy for trick-or-treating, while 78% plan to spend on decorations.
71% of consumers say they want to purchase a costume for Halloween, and 38% plan to get a postcard. These figures show an increase in shopping activity for each product category from the year before, ranging from 1% to 5%.
Additionally, 62% of consumers prefer eco-friendly and reusable products, so sellers should focus on offering items made from recyclable materials, especially from home décor and costumes categories.
Here are spending projections for the four most popular products:
- Costumes ($4.3 billion)
- Decorations ($4.2 billion)
- Candy ($3.9 billion)
- Greeting cards (0.7 billion)
Hence, online sellers offering products from a wide variety of categories, ranging from health and beauty to electronics, can benefit from the spike in online shopping activity in the weeks leading up to Halloween.
Product listing optimization tips for Halloween 2025
The early-bird shopping trend has been gaining momentum over the last few years.
In 2025, 49% of consumers plan to start shopping for Halloween in September. Most people start shopping early for the following reasons:
- Love for the fall season (44%)
- Love for Halloween (37%)
- A sense of security, since some items may sell out closer to Halloween night (33%)
- Avoiding the last-minute shopping (33%)
These figures suggest that sellers on online marketplaces like eBay or Amazon should start their promotional activities in mid-September in order to capture early-bird shoppers. Still, merchants must optimize their listings for this shopping event to reach their target audience.
Let’s go through a few listing optimization tips that may help boost your sales during Halloween.
Identify potential best-sellers – Analyze your inventory and find products that could potentially attract the attention of Halloween shoppers. Follow social media trends for deeper insight into the types of products that may gain popularity during the festivities. Try thinking outside the box, since even items that may seem unrelated to the spirit of the holiday may gain traction during the weeks before Halloween.
Create Halloween-themed content – Invest in product images and videos that capture the spirit of Halloween and the fall season in general. Also, review and enrich the product descriptions of the items you want to promote during this period to attract customers.
Use seasonal keywords – Spooky plates or retro Halloween look are just a few among countless seasonal keywords online sellers can add to product descriptions and listing titles to increase their chances of appearing at the top of search results for popular queries during this period.
Furthermore, digital retailers should create ad campaigns targeting Gen Z and millennial shoppers, since the early projections show that these two demographic groups will be the most active Halloween shoppers in 2025.
Halloween 2025 and the beginning of the peak season
Online marketplaces traditionally grow more competitive in the last quarter of the year, and 2025 won’t be an exception.
Halloween marks the beginning of the peak shopping season. It serves as an occasion that can show sellers on online marketplaces how well their promotional campaigns and specific listings are performing.
The statistics show that consumers will start shopping for Halloween early, indicating that merchants should prepare for the increase in traffic and sales from mid-September until the end of October.
Worldwide sales during Halloween 2025 are expected to hit unprecedented heights, despite the economic challenges shoppers worldwide are facing.
Consequently, sellers on international online marketplaces shouldn’t miss this opportunity to expand the reach of their products and increase their revenue.
Are you struggling to localize and optimize your product listings on eBay for Halloween? Schedule a call to learn more about how Webinterpret’s eBay solution can help improve sales across the platform’s international marketplaces.
About Webinterpret
Webinterpret supports merchants selling on eBay.
Our AI-based solutions enable more effective selling through automated listing localization, advertising, and returns and ensure all products placed on EU markets are GPSR-compliant.
By giving your international customers a full, end-to-end local shopping experience, Webinterpret improves your conversion and helps establish your business globally.
