Halloween 2025 is already lurking in the shadows, and if you’re in the US, you know spooky season doesn’t wait for October anymore. The second the last firework pops on the Fourth of July, the pumpkin spice marketing machine starts revving its engine.
By August, store aisles are lined with faux cobwebs, towers of candy, and skeletons taller than your house. Streaming platforms are rolling out horror marathons, neighborhood Facebook groups are arguing over who has the best yard display, and brands?
We Pulsed hundreds of Americans to find out exactly how the nation is gearing up for fright night, from the early planners and last-minute ghouls to the retailers, spending habits, and brand strategies that make Halloween a goldmine.
What Americans love the most about Halloween
Before we get into the spreadsheets and receipts, let’s talk about the good stuff, the parts of Halloween that make people actually want to celebrate (and spend money doing it).
America’s favorite things about Halloween
- 34% – Scary movies and spooky vibes (yes, we will watch Hocus Pocus again)
- 30% – Stocking up on candy… and mysteriously running out before trick-or-treat night
- 28% – Decorating like the HOA can’t stop you
- 24% – Dressing up in costumes or makeup worthy of Instagram
- 23% – Parties, parades, and pumpkin beer
- 19% – Limited-edition brand drops that make your cart just a little heavier, and wallets a little lighter.
The Halloween planning personalities
Halloween prep in America is not one-size-fits-all. It’s as diverse as the costumes you’ll see on October 31st.
For some, planning starts before the school year does, with Pinterest boards and budget spreadsheets already in play. For others, Halloween is more of a “day-of” decision, powered by whatever’s left in the store aisles the night before.
Knowing where your customers fall on this spectrum is gold for marketers — it tells you exactly when and how to reach them.
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24% Early Planners – Those already have costume spreadsheets, pre-measured cobwebs, and pumpkin carving templates.
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21% Casual Plotters – Thinking about it, but still in the “scroll Pinterest and dream” phase.
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32% Too Early-ers – Will start paying attention only when the leaves crunch underfoot.
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23% Skippers – The candy corn aisle doesn’t even register.
Fun fact: Women are slightly more likely to be early planners, while men lead in the “not yet” camp.
When does America start Halloween shopping:
Halloween retail season is now a marathon, not a sprint. Some shoppers start stockpiling candy before Labor Day, while others don’t even think about it until the week before Halloween. This creates a uniquely long buying window, which for brands is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Early birds vs. Last-minute ghouls
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9% — July or earlier
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9% — August, post–back-to-school.
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11% — Early September.
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11% — Mid-to-late September.
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11% — October… risking sold-out costumes and candy shortages.
Gender gap: Men lead the “super early” camp, while women dominate the “wait until October” group.
How America will split up the Halloween budget
No matter how elaborate the costumes or over-the-top the yard inflatables, Halloween in America lives and dies by the candy bowl. And in 2025, that bowl is still the biggest line in the Halloween budget. Nearly half of Americans (48%) say candy is where most of their spooky-season dollars go.
And brands, especially Hershey’s, know it.
From rolling out Reese’s Mini Pumpkins Unwrapped to Hershey’s Nuggets: Pumpkin Spice Latte, the candy aisle is a masterclass in seasonal marketing. It’s colorful, nostalgic, and impossible to walk past without grabbing just one bag.
Where the rest of the budget will go…
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29% – Costumes (humans and pets, of course!).
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29% – Decorations
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14% – Party food & drinks
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13% – Event tickets
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10% – Craft supplies
How America Shops for Halloween
There’s no one-size-fits-all Halloween shopper. Some stalk the clearance racks for months, others do it all in a single caffeine-fueled Saturday.
Shopping styles
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36% wait for sales. 2025 Halloween decor is the 2026 Halloween theme
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26% like to spread purchases out so it doesn’t feel like a horror story at checkout
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22% buy it all in one glorious spree
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24% swear by reusing what they own and feeling smug about it
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16% are DIY-ing their way to spooky greatness
The mindsets that drive sales
How someone thinks about Halloween spending can be as crucial as their budget. These mindsets shape when they shop, what they buy, and how they feel about your brand’s marketing.
- The Reusers — Dig through the basement, make it work
- The Strategists — Buy next year’s Halloween in this year’s clearance aisle.
- The Convenience Crew — Pay for premade, no regrets
- The DIY Dreamers — Homemade everything, except the good candy.
- The All-Out Enthusiasts — If it’s not bigger than Christmas, what’s the point?
The retail kings & queens of Halloween
In the retail world, a few giants rule the Halloween kingdom. They’ve either mastered convenience or mastered the atmosphere, or both.
Top Halloween shopping destinations
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Walmart – 47%
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Amazon – 40%
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Spirit Halloween – 30%
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Target – 28%
Spirit Halloween is crowned the spookiest store…
When it comes to pure Halloween vibes, Spirit Halloween doesn’t just win, it sweeps the category like a witch on a turbo-charged broomstick. Step inside and you’re instantly transported from everyday life into a fully immersive haunted wonderland. It’s less “shopping trip” and more “Halloween theme park you don’t have to buy a ticket for.”
When Spirit Halloween opens, it’s basically the spooky season’s starter pistol. In 2025, they opened the doors in early August, and America had opinions.
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33% – “Halloween starts earlier every year.”
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20% – “Love it — give me more time to be spooky.”
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27% – “Too soon, I’m not ready.”
Love them or roll your eyes, Spirit Halloween has the cultural clout to decide when spooky season starts.
What makes a brand feel Halloween-y?
If you want people to feel your brand during Halloween, a single pumpkin graphic isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to go full Dracula, immersive, multi-sensory, and impossible to ignore.
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52% – Seasonal products or flavors.
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45% – Immersive in-store displays.
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40% – Themed ads and campaigns.
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37% – Limited-edition packaging.
💡 In a sea of orange and black, standing out is the whole game.
The shadows are stirring… time to get ahead!
Ready to summon real-time consumer insights and banish the guesswork? Let OnePulse be your secret potion, spot trends as they creep in, sharpen your haunted campaigns, and spook the competition into silence.
👉 Book your walkthrough & free trial now… if you dare! 🎃
