Eerie insights you need to know

Dive into our cauldron of insights and discover how Brits feel about Halloween this year!

Despite 55% of Brits claiming that Halloween doesn’t align with British culture, experts predict that Brits will spend over £700 million on Halloween in 2023.

And we can safely assume that £700 million will continue to increase year upon year as 35% confessed their love for Halloween grows bigger and bolder each year. In fact, a quarter of Brits hope the land of tea and crumpets will start to embrace the more extravagant, over-the-top American approach to Halloween. 

But before you’re elbow-deep in pumpkin guts or scrambling for that last-minute costume (we’re looking at you, the 11%!), dive into our cauldron of insights and discover how Brits feel about the holiday. 

*Some* ghouls just wanna have fun
Over a third (37%) are gearing up for some truly spooktacular fun this year, with 35% admitting their passion for Halloween is SO intense that they started planning their hauntingly soirées earlier than… September! However, not everyone is down for a ghostly gathering. For 37%, the 31st of October is simply nothing more than a gimmick. And for 8%, the true terror of this year isn’t supernatural – it’s the cost of living.

Witch way to the costume party?
Our friends at BooHoo have predicted Barbie, M3GAN, and Ariel will rule the haunted catwalk this October. While 58% also expect Barbie (and Ken, of course) to dominate this year’s spooky season, many (28%) will be drawing inspiration from the classics of older TV and movies for their costume, meanwhile 36% are staying put with the classics, opting for tried-and-true Halloween attire like witches and ghosts.

Spine-tingling spends
The spirit of thriftiness is haunting the wallets of 1 in 4 this year as they plan on cutting down their spending compared to 2022. Fewer consumers will wander off to independent retailers this year (boo!), and more will make a pitstop at their local discount retailers or supermarkets. The reason behind the shift? Wickedly good discounts and the convenience of one-stop shopping are too tempting to resist!

Sweeter than a witch’s brew
Brits are leaning heavily towards the “treat” side of Halloween this year as sweets have ranked top in the Halloween spending category, followed by costumes and decor. Those thematic sweets like ghost marshmallows and chocolate eyeballs just can’t be resisted, and for those opting for the branded stuff, Haribo and Swizzels are set to reap the rewards. The thriftiness continues, as the average Brit will cap their sugary splurges at a reasonable £10, with 67% gravitating towards bite-sized portions instead of full-size.

Spooktacular sells
Forget tradition; 1 in 10 say the spooky campaigns they see leading up to Halloween cast a spell on them to celebrate. But wait, there’s more! 1 in 4 are head-over-heels in love with brands that give their products a ghoulish makeover with limited edition Halloween packaging, with 29% admitting they’re more inclined to grab a product decked out in its Halloween attire over one in its plain old packaging. The big question is, are brands hitting the Halloween nail on the coffin, or are they just turning into pumpkins at the ball? Opinions are divided, with 1 in 2 believing that brands that embrace Halloween are way more in tune with their customers.

You said treat, right? 
We’ve got many spooky stats bubbling away in our cauldron, so enjoy some of our favourite stats we’ve unveiled by Pulsing the community so far…

🐶 A third of pawrents plan to treat their furbabies to Halloween toys & treats 

🍫 2 in 3 parents openly admit to stealing their children’s trick-or-treat sweets, with 8% telling their children they need to inspect them ‘for safety reasons’

🐾 25% would be happier seeing a dog knock (… should we say paw) on their door for treats this Halloween than a child.

🎆 Despite the growing popularity of Halloween, 60% say Bonfire Night is THE best Autumnal event

🍬 1 in 10 have refused to hand out sweets to a trick-or-treater as they thought they were ‘too old’.