Second only to Christmas, Halloween is the biggest shopping holiday for retailers, generating more than $6 billion in sales. While price is important, it is usually not the determining factor in Halloween purchases. In 1999, the American Express Retail Index reported that consumers spent an average of $98 on the holiday, an increase of 21% from 1998. In fact, Halloween's popularity with consumers has grown consistently for the past three years. With billions of dollars in sales, Halloween has become more than just a candy event (candy actually represents just one-third of Halloween's total sales).

The Internet as a Halloween shopping destination is steadily gaining in popularity. It is estimated that five times as many Americans (6 percent) shopped online compared to 1999 (1 percent) and will look for costumes or costume ideas, shop for party goods and decoration, or shop for treats in 2000.

According to the American Express Index report, mass merchandisers and discount department stores are most often cited for Halloween products, commanding 69% of the market, and the industry is hoping to ensure that Halloween remains America's second biggest consumer holiday.

The popularity of Halloween is simply astounding! It is the third largest party occasion, after New Year's and The Super Bowl. More candy is sold than on Valentine's Day and more parties held than on New Year's Eve. Two-thirds of all grown-ups will celebrate Halloween and half of them will spend more than $100 doing so. Consumers will send each other 28 million Halloween cards.

Halloween offers a tremendous opportunity for retailers and brand marketers to co-market Halloween destination categories at retail, both online and off. They can pull together Halloween solutions centers that fully integrate a spectrum of Halloween needs--candy, cookies, baking, decorations, greeting cards/party invitations, costumes, videos, music, etc. Retailers can appeal not just to kids, but adults as well.