Traditional costumes to be favorite this Halloween: NRF

More than 5 million adults plan to dress as a witch this year and 2.9 million will dress as a Batman character. Tiny tots have exclaimed they want to be a princess (3.8 million), an animal (2.8 million) or a Batman character (2.5 million). Fido and fluffy will be fashionable as well: 7.9 percent of people will dress their furry friend as a pumpkin. Hot dog, cat, and devil costumes follow for pet favorites. 

Americans are expected to spend $2.6 billion on Halloween costumes, according to an NRF survey, spending $1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.2 billion on adult costumes, and $330 million on pet costumes. The average person will spend $75.03 on Halloween candy, costumes and decorations, bringing total spending to $6.9 billion.

“Halloween is a long-standing tradition that kids and adults alike look forward to every fall,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Consumers can bet retailers are prepared with all their needs.”

“While traditional favorites top the list this year, there’s always the chance of seeing over-the-top, unique costumes on Halloween,” Prosper Insights Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow said. “Costumes with clear pop culture references that mimic hit TV show characters or celebrities could easily surprise us all.”

About the Survey

NRF’s 2013 Halloween consumer spending surveys were designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Halloween spending. The surveys were conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights and Analytics. The poll of 5,290 consumers was conducted from September 3-10. The consumer polls have a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point.

Prosper Insights and Analytics delivers executives timely, consumer-centric insights from multiple sources. As a comprehensive resource of information, Prosper represents the voice of the consumer and provides knowledge to marketers regarding consumer views on the economy, personal finance, retail, lifestyle, media and domestic and world issues.

As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners, from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.

National Retail Federation