Sugar high: How Americans plan to shop for Halloween candy in 2022
Sugar high: How Americans plan to shop for Halloween candy in 2022
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What sweet treats are Americans planning to buy for Halloween in 2022?
Now that Labor Day is over, it’s time to get spooky. Halloween 2022 is coming, and there’s a lot of shopping that goes into making the holiday season festive and fun. Since 2005, consumer Halloween spending has increased by 112%, skyrocketing up from an average of $48.48 to $102.74. And last year, Americans spent $3 billion dollars on candy. That’s a lot of KitKats and Reese’s!
But how are they getting ready for Halloween 2022?
Suzy asked 1000 Americans about their Halloween candy shopping plans to discover what they want to buy, when they shop, and where they buy their favorite treats. Here’s what they had to say:
Chocolate is the number one pick for Halloween candy
Despite rumored shortages and price increases, chocolate is still the treat Americans want this Halloween. Snickers is the number one choice (18%), followed closely by Hershey’s (17%). M&M’s (15%), Reese’s (11%), and KitKats (9%) also made the list. Skittles (8%) are the fruity fave.
Trick-or-treat yourself
Most shoppers (66%) buy Halloween candy for their family to enjoy or for trick-or-treaters (64%). But over half of Americans (54%) buy Halloween candy as a treat for themselves. 34% buy it for Halloween parties, and only 18% buy it for their coworkers or classmates.
Consumers (mostly) plan ahead
Most consumers get Halloween candy early. 21% buy their candy a week or two before Halloween, while 14% buy it three weeks to a month early. Only 7% buy it more than a month ahead of time. Female shoppers are slightly more likely to shop ahead of time than male shoppers.
The remainder buys it within the week of Halloween. 7% of consumers wait until the last minute and buy their candy on the day of Halloween. A full 20% said they don’t buy Halloween candy, while 6% are taking advantage of those post-holiday sales.
Shopping for Halloween candy
Over half (52%) of consumers are scared of high prices this year, but most Americans also plan to spend more on candy. 31% of consumers spend $20 or more on the sweet stuff. (In our 2018 survey, only 20% of consumers planned to spend that much.) Another third (27%) spend between $10 and $15. Only 4% spend $5 or less.
Parents, no doubt already dealing with back-to-school penny pinching, are the most worried about the cost of candy this year. But they’re still planning on spending $20+ on candy this year.
When they shop for candy, 54% of consumers hit the big box stores. 9% shop online at Amazon, and 8% buy sweets from major chain grocery stores.
Discover Halloween with Suzy
What costume do consumers want to wear this year? Do they have any health and safety concerns? Is trick-or-treating dead? Ask Suzy. Our end-to-end consumer insights platform integrates quant, qual, and high quality audiences into a single connected research cloud. You can conduct iterative research, with agency-quality rigor, in less time and at a fraction of the cost. Learn more today by booking a demo with our team.