Don’t look now, but high prices might be sucking the sweetness out of Halloween. According to a survey by Shopkick and Trax, while excitement for the holiday is as high as ever, rising costs have shaken shoppers’ candy budgets.
In fact, 86% of consumers noticed seeing candy prices increase, while 79% said they had scaled back on how much they spent overall because of it.
Of the 6,000+ shoppers surveyed, 83% said they’re capping their candy spending at $100, while 69% plan to keep it closer to $20—a notable dip from past years’ averages of $30–$50.
With shoppers hunting for discounts—41% of consumers were planning ahead and doing “early bird candy hunts”—brands may need to rethink their Halloween playbook. As Trax CMO Brittany Billings put it, “The traditional late-October candy buying frenzy is evolving into extended, deal-driven purchasing windows that began much earlier this year. Brands and retailers must reassess their pricing and promotional structures to align with today’s price-conscious consumers hunting for deals.”
As Retail Brew previously reported, while consumers are definitely going to spend for Halloween, 79% are expecting prices to be higher because of tariffs.
Overall, the spooky season spending shift mirrors broader holiday shopping behavior. Consumers are still opening their wallets, but only when they see value. Adobe Analytics found that deal hunting and buy now, pay later use are on the rise, while Bankrate reported that more shoppers are getting an early start this year to hedge against higher prices.
This report was originally published by Retail Brew.