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At Faire, spotting whatās next is our specialty, and while your customers may still be on vacation, fall is just around the corner.Ā
On Faire, Halloween-themed searches, including pumpkin, skull, orange, and skeleton, typically peak between August and Septemberāand nearly half of Halloween shoppers start before Octoberāso now is the perfect time to stock your shelves with delightful frights. And for retailers researching the spookiest trends, we have you coveredāfrom data-driven insights to product recommendations that are sure to be your spooky season bestsellers.
Haunting in style: Finishing touches for costumes
The Halloween and Costume Association warned in April that the cost of costumes may be more expensive than in past years, but independent retailers are uniquely positioned to relieve this financial tension by sourcing locally and getting creative with their merchandising. Instead of just selling a full one-and-done costume, help shoppers re-create their favorite cultural milestones (while keeping costs low) with apparel and accessories that complement items they already own.
Searches for Western apparel are up 13% from last July, so weāre expecting to see quite a few Western-inspired costumes this year. For shoppers who are going for a Cowboy Carter look, how about some sequin red, white, and blue shorts and a studded cowboy hat to match? Thereās this oversized āWanted and Wildā denim jacket and some bold belts featuring bulls and Texas longhorns that could complete any outfitāon Halloween or any day of the year.
Kids and adults alike loved Wicked this year, and ahead of the highly anticipated sequel, Wicked for Good, Halloween will be a āPopularā time to delight their inner Glinda and Elphaba. Let little ones play dress-up with a tiara and wand set. Then provide ample opportunities for adults to get in on the fun with fluffy pink petticoats, black and green tights, and a good-witchy dress that would be an excellent wardrobe piece post-Halloween. (This is how you make their money work for them.)
Heroes are a dress-up box staple, and for that, we can recommend plenty, from simple superhero glasses to keep up at your register and a superhero shield to complete an outfit to a mask and cuffs to make an ordinary costume look a bit moreā¦super. Same for this set of cuffs, mask, and capeāall shoppers need to do is add a T-shirt and tights!
The romantasy genre has made quite a stir this year, and we expect many shoppers will be looking to dress like their favorite fantasy characters: Whether theyāre humans draped in romantic lace dresses or floral numbers, elves in cloaks, or fairies with crystal tiaras.
Instead of going full throttle on one-and-done costumes this year, consumers are going to be looking to save by buying pieces and accessories to complement what they already own (or find things they can wear year-round), and the above recs will help them do just that. Now, letās see whatās in store for spooky decor.Ā Ā
For the (haunted) house
Halloween will never just be about costumes. Costumes are enjoyed for one or two days at best! But decor? That we can enjoy for a few weeks, if not more! So, below weāll dig into how we anticipate consumers will be decorating this year, based on the trends and insights weāre seeing from Faire data.Ā
Gothcore
From Netflixās Wednesday coming back for a second season to dark romance taking over Paris Fashion Week and Victorian Noirāa decidedly coveted aesthetic we coined back in Januaryāitās never been cooler to be moody. On Faire, searches for goth are up 18% year over year since May, and searches for gothic are up 31% year over year as of Juneāand weāre expecting those to remain high as we head into fall. And if youāre looking to decorate your shopāand provide shoppers with a similarly moody aesthetic for their own haunted houses, we can help.Ā Ā
Thereās a geometric cat candle that melts into a skeleton or a gothic garden candle with a skull on the front (for energetic cleansing). Have your own candles? Pick up these cast iron candlesticks. To set the mood for a seance, thereās haunted house spray, a Library of Poisonous Plants vase, a black Victorian print with dried butterflies for the wall, and pebbled wine glasses for witchās brew. Hanging witch hats wonāt hurt either for a more child-friendly approach.Ā Ā Ā
Viral home decor
Decorating oneās home for a holiday isnāt a competition, but maybe it is a little bit. This is why weāre here to help you transform shoppersā homes into the finest haunted houses with a combination of viral sensations (and the unexpectedly spooky).
From a data perspective, hereās what we know:
From May to July of this year, searches for ghost candle jumped 561%. Need one of those trending ones? Hereās one we love from Talking Tables. Searches for gourd are already up 34% year over year as of June. So, to lean into decorative gourd season, there are gourd tea towels and moody velvet pumpkin accessories that can be used for tabletop decor. From June to August of last year, searches for vintage Halloween jumped 281%, and weāre expecting the same spike this year. For vintage vibes, we love this lone witchy ghost and spread of spooky wall art, not to mention this haunted house. And for those who want to shop early and make their decor not just a Halloween event, but a full fall celebration, Primitives by Kathy has a whole autumnal collection. Think: plaid runners, āfall sweet fallā pillows, and a white pumpkin treat jar for the pups.Ā Ā
Halloween food and treats
Halloween isnāt just about candy anymore. When temperatures cool, shoppers are craving maple, pumpkin spice, and apple cider. Letās dig into the trove of new treats and traditions to introduce to your consumers.Ā
Boo baskets and other neighborly surprises
Boo baskets are an emerging holiday tradition in which the giver curates a basket of Halloween-themed surprises for an unsuspecting neighbor. On Faire, searches for the term grew 130% year over year between 2023 and 2024, and we anticipate it will grow even more this year.Ā
Filled with an assortment of treats and fall-themed goodies, the tradition is taking hold on social media, as families document the creation and delivery of these delights using the #BooBaskets. For retailers, this is an opportunity for you to take the guesswork out of the curation process by putting together a ready-made basketāfilling it with seasonal goodies, from coffee and cookies to candy, candles, and tea towels. Put together a few of these, and youāll make treating someone special (or someone new) thoughtful and simpleāmaybe a little spooky too!
First thingās first: Youāll need a basket or a bag. This one is perfect for Halloween. Though if you want to use a more traditional wicker basket, that works too! Then you can start filling it with your non-edible items, like a little ghost coffee sleeve, a ghost journal, Halloween slippers, and a sweet-scented candle.
For sophisticated palates leaning into the fall season, try Onyx gochujang chai and a smoked maple cocktail mix. Thereās also hot chocolate mix, ginger snaps, apple brandy barrel-aged maple syrup, a candy appleāmaking kit, and pumpkin spice alfajores.
Of course, if you want to go all-out for Halloween, hereās what to do. Load up on blood red popcorn kernels, screaming maple sugar candy, and blood orange chocolate bars. Every goth will love it.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
Treats, not tricks
US Halloween candy spending was expected to surpass $4 billion in 2024, and according to data from Mars, Gen Z and Millennial shoppers plan to purchase Halloween candy more than four weeks before Halloween on average. (Guilty!) From this research, we found that 80% of candy purchased will be chocolate, and 50% will be specifically Halloween themed. On Faire, searches for candy bag spiked 287% from May to July, which means itās time to start planning.
To help jump-start consumer shopping, here are three of our favorite Halloween treats this year.
- Rotten Candy: These gummy rings bring together the power of the viral Nerds Gummy Clusters with ā¦ prebiotics. Yes, we said it. Theyāre crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, super sour, and made with prebiotic fiber. Whatās more, they donāt have any artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners.
- Compartes pumpkin spiced latte bar: Everyoneās favorite fall flavor packed into a smooth and creamy chocolate bar.
- Swedish sour skulls: Sour, chewy, spooky, delicious. As the Swedish candy trend continues to take over the US, we canāt help but dig into these sours again and again.
