How Real People Feel about…Halloween

Halloween in the UK feels like it’s getting bigger, more expensive, and more American with each year that passes. Halloween spending in the UK is projected to reach £776 million in 2024, with three in five Brits planning to make a purchase for it.

The Ninety-Niners spoke to some real people across the country to find out how they really feel about it, to better understand how brands might connect with people at this time of year.

Summary

• Modern trends, rather than tradition, drive habits

• TikTok has made Halloween huge for gen z

• For many, it's just a good excuse to have a party

• The brands people associate with Halloween are supermarket and retailers

Trends Trump Traditions.

Christmas traditions tend to stay relatively stable from one generation to the next, with family idiosyncrasies handed down and built upon (what do you mean you do presents BEFORE dinner?!).

But Halloween trends tend to be passed up from younger generations who are absorbing US cultural cues from social media. Parents are adopting the latest must-do activities to stay on the right side of the school WhatsApp group, regardless of their own childhood relationship with Halloween.

“I was brought up in quite a strict Christian household. My friends would be out, but my mum wouldn’t let me go. She never really understood the celebration of ghosts and ghouls. As an adult I’ve gone to many parties, especially fancy dress. As a parent now, I take my kid out trick or treating.” – Jason, 45

“In the 20 years I’ve been in this country, I’ve seen it change .When I was new here, I would hardly see any decorations, now lots more are doing it.” – Simmi, 45

TikTok or Treat? Social media is driving pester-power.

While 58% of Brits are planning to spend for Halloween, this number leaps up to 84% when applied to gen z. It’s hard to rule out the effect of this generation’s favourite app, with one in three TikTok users saying it played a role in their Halloween related purchases. 62% of those who did buy for Halloween said they were inspired, or got a new idea from TikTok.

An ever-widening selection of categories are making themselves relevant to Halloween. According to Sophie Neary, managing director for retail and consumer goods at Google, the 23rd of October is peak day for Halloween searches, with beauty and personal care searches up 8.33%, sweets growing over 25%, clothing by over 20%, and home and garden over 21%.

Enter, then, the 'boo basket'. If you haven’t heard of these consider yourself a) lucky, b) not a parent to a teenage girl. This craze combines the luxury influencer lifestyle of gifting with the trend of unboxing, and sees teens opening giftboxes of seasonal treats. No, not just bags of Haribo, but jewellery, skincare products, and other high end fashion items.

British Mum and TikToker @holiiefromthe80s captures how many of her cohort are feeling at this new, expensive development in this sweary rant: 

“It’s a very American, commercialised, holiday we’ve adopted.” – Audrey, 38

“Halloween is for children. Kids pester their parents to get them things.” – Connor, 30

“We’ve done pumpkin picking before, but the amount that people spend on it! I find it forced fun.” – Jason, 45

“My kids are already asking about whether we’ll be back home in time to trick or treat.”  – Simmi, 45

It’s a good excuse for a party.

With summer over, daylight saving ending, and the next big milestone being Christmas, Halloween serves as an easy calendar moment to motivate friends to meet up for a party. Unlike Christmas, which is dominated by family time, this is an occasion that friends can get together and let loose, with costumes allowing people to loosen up and lose some inhibitions.

“My diary is all Halloween parties, or drinks (I’ve declined many). I get a lot of invites from friends, not family.” – Jason, 45

“Everyone seems to be in a good mood. There’s no stress with it unlike Christmas; having to be with people you don’t want to be with. You’re with friends rather than family. Summer’s over, it’s something to celebrate.”  – Jaq, 57

“We did use to go to Halloween parties but that was more for the partying and socialising and to have a drink.” – Connor, 30

“It’s an excuse for people to have parties, so you get to catch up with some friends over various different house parties. So I guess that’s the good thing. You try to make time to see people” – Audrey, 38

Brands, no. Supermarkets, yes.

Asking people about what brands they associate with Halloween firstly elicits blank faces and a lot of ummmm-ing, with no real stand out brands being able to wear the spooky crown. Probe a little deeper, though, and it’s the retail brands that people associate with this holiday, because this is where they’re most coming into contact with it (often a lot earlier in the year than they want to). The big supermarkets, Amazon, and thrifty favourite Poundland.

“Asda and Sainsburys. They’re my local stores, and whenever I go there I find stuff for Halloween. They have a special aisle.” – Simmi, 45 

“There are already adverts, costumes being advertised in September. It used to be ‘oh it’s this week’ and now there’s a build up to it.” – Connor, 30

“I just go to Poundland. It’s cheap and cheerful, and my son is growing exponentially, so I don’t want to buy a costume that won’t fit by the time we get home.” – Jason, 45

“All the shops have their big multi bags of pull-your-teeth-out sweets.” – Jaq, 57