Consumer spending on Halloween goods is racking up with weeks to go before the holiday

Halloween may be a few weeks away, but Americans are not wasting any time getting their hands on spooky goodies for the traditional scariest day of the year.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) says nearly half of American consumers have likely already bought some Halloween products in early October. Some 47% of American consumers said they’d likely buy some Halloween goods even before October, up from 37% a half-decade ago and 32% 10 years prior.

“With early Halloween shopping on the rise, Florida retailers are already stocked up and ready to meet the early demand,” shared Scott Shalley, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation. “Don’t let last-minute Halloween shopping haunt you. Head to your favorite Florida retailers to hunt down the best candy, decorations, costumes, and other Halloween essentials.”

The amount of money consumers spend this year appears to be a notable chunk of change on Halloween. They likely will throw down about $103.63 on Halloween products. That is slightly down from 2023, when that figure was $108.24.

However, according to the NRF, Americans have plenty of activities and reasons for spending money on Halloween products, including:

— Handing out candy – 67%.

— Decorating their home or yard – 52%.

— Dressing up in a costume – 49%.

— Carving a pumpkin – 43%.

— Throwing or attending a Halloween party – 29%.

Americans also enjoy dressing up and getting freaky for Halloween. Here are the most popular costumes for those getting into the swing of Halloween, according to the RFN:

— Spiderman

— Ghost

— Princess

— Witch

— Superhero

— Batman

— Vampire

— Pumpkin

— Disney Princess

— Superman

NRF officials say Halloween is a valuable holiday for retailers, as some notable money will be spent on the holiday celebrated on Oct. 31.

“Total spending for Halloween is forecast to reach $11.6 billion nationally after last year’s record-breaking $12.2 billion. Costumes remain the most popular purchase as total spending is forecast to reach $3.8 billion,” an NRF news release said.