Despite inflation concerns, consumers still plan to celebrate Halloween with candy

The price of candy is up, like most everything else. However, many consumers are not planning to change their Halloween plans due to higher costs, according to new research.

Approximately 43% of consumers “expect moderate or significant impacts of inflation” this Halloween, but will still go on with holiday plans, said a 2022 Halloween preview consumer survey report from data and tech company Numerator.

The company surveyed over 1,000 consumers, and three in four plan to make purchases for Halloween, with an overwhelming 73% planning to purchase candy, and 45% planning to buy holiday decorations. Forty-two percent said they will purchase pumpkins for decoration and 38% will have snacks like chips and pretzels on their list of items to buy. About 35% of consumers are planning to make apparel and costume purchases.

An impressive 84% of consumers plan to shop in-store for the holiday, and 32% will shop online. Of those who are expected to shop online, Amazon and Walmart.com were mentioned as retailers where customers will likely shop. Of the people surveyed, 25% plan to spend between $25-$50 on Halloween, and a combined 35% said they will spend over $50 but not exceeding $100.

More than half of consumers (54%) said they will hand out candy this year, compared to 63% in past years; 48% will decorate their home, compared to 56% in past years; and 33% will go trick-or-treating, compared to 48% in past years.

Candy prices are up an average of 11% to 13% over last year, according to new research from Datasembly. And the prices of candy assortment bags rose 8%, the data firm found. 

"With Halloween around the corner, we’ve identified a significant change in the candy category as it continues to rise in price on a national average,” Ben Reich, Datasembly’s CEO, told WGB.

Nestle Crunch showed the lowest percent change at 6%, followed by Butterfinger at 7%. Skittles showed the highest percent change with a 42% increase; Starburst showed a 35% increase. 

The national consumer price index has indicated that extreme weather, rising energy costs and supply chain issues are reasons for inflated food prices, said Reich. “So those factors, in addition to the heightened costs of raw sugar, have greatly contributed to this year-over-year price spike across the candy category,” Reich said.

Many of the consumers surveyed by Numerator said they want children to have fun this Halloween, especially considering that for the past few years, the holiday has been hindered due to COVID restrictions. “I’m considering handing out candy. That's not something I would've done in the past two years, but I might just do it,” said one of the consumers surveyed in the report.

Also, trick-or-treaters can expect mostly chocolate this year, as most consumers (82%) plan to purchase and pass out chocolate candy, and 63% plan to offer non-chocolate candy such as lollipops, gummies and hard and sour candy, according to the report. Additionally, nearly three in 10 households plan to trade down this year and buy cheaper candy brands.