Halloween shoppers are shopping early, seeking low-cost and analog options

At some point during the summer—maybe on some sweltering August night when shoppers were still preoccupied with prepping for vacation or going back to school—skeletons, pumpkins, and candy with orange-colored wrappers started appearing on shelves.

This yearly ritual, which often garners a “Can you believe they’re already preparing for Halloween?” reaction, is the quiet kickoff to a shopping season that is getting longer and more significant for retailers. 

For a look at how this Halloween season is shaping up, here are some of the key trends and terms informing retailers.

‘Summerween’

The feeling that Halloween is coming earlier and earlier isn’t your imagination. The latest survey from the National Retail Federation shows 49% of consumers plan to start their Halloween shopping before October, up from 34% a decade ago, per National Retail Federation estimates.

• Halloween spending also nearly doubled over that period, rising from $7.4 billion in 2014 to $13.1 billion in 2025, with NRF predicting spending to hit $13.5 billion this year.

To capitalize on the longer season, some retailers have given their late-summer promotions a spooky spin. The Hershey Company calls the phenomenon “Summerween,” and it’s directly impacting its seasonal production timeline. Hershey CEO Kirk Tanner said the candy giant was already shipping out Halloween-themed items in July and dialing up its frontline sales teams.

‘Treatonomics’

Summerween isn’t the only term Hershey has coined to describe how consumers are approaching Halloween. On a webpage devoted to Halloween, the company noted that while people may be pulling back on larger items, “they’re leaning harder into small, joyful ones,” in a trend the candymaker has dubbed “treatonomics.”

“People are prioritizing affordable experiences that create happiness, connection and anticipation,” Stephanie Berman, VP of retail at The Hershey Company, told Retail Brew.

Some experts also anticipate a focus on value this year. Indeed, the trend is already shopping up in decor, Jackie Lewis, market intelligence lead at Harvest Group, told Retail Brew.

“While still very early, lower-priced items are performing stronger this year versus higher price points,” she wrote, noting that she’ll be watching to see if continued economic pressure pushes consumers toward at-home occasions and lower-priced products.

The focus on affordability is pushing more consumers toward the discount channel, which was the top destination of Halloween purchases (39%), according to the NRF survey. Next up were costume stores (32%) and online (27%), while nearly half of consumers (47%) reported using AI platforms in their Halloween shopping. “As consumers prepare for Halloween, many are using these tools to brainstorm costumes and decorating themes, explore production options, and find inspiration that helps bring their celebrations to life,” Prosper EVP of Strategy Phil Rist said in a statement.

‘Hobbyween’

The pivot to lower-priced items also aligns with another emerging Halloween spending habit, according to Michaels. In a phenomenon it calls “Hobbyween,” the arts and craft chain is seeing a growing interest in analog hobbies.

“Consumers are looking for ways to make the holiday more hands-on and immersive, rather than simply buying Halloween decor and costumes,” Stacey Shively, chief merchandising officer at Michaels, told Retail Brew.

This interest is showing up directly in search results. Michaels shared data showing that searches for Halloween crochet kits were up 583% year over year, and analog hobby searches overall were up 136%. “This is customers telling us they want Halloween to be something they make and experience, not just something they buy,” she added.

The flipside of the trend is that the craze for giant skeletons continues. The Home Depot announced in July that it was expanding its collection of 12-foot-tall creatures to give its viral skeleton, Skelly, some company.