As consumers become increasingly cost-cautious, competition for dollars is fierce. Halloween costumes, decor, and party supplies may not be a top shopping priority, but specialty retailers such as Spirit Halloween still find a way to engage consumers and attract their dollars.
By establishing all-new storefronts early in the season, benefitting off the flexibility of pop-ups, and creating a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, Spirit Halloween has been able to more than double its physical footprint since 2009 as of last year.
Here’s how retailers can take a page out of the Spirit Halloween playbook.
Spirit Halloween began opening its 1,500-plus locations last week, continuing its strategy to lure shoppers in well before fall. Some 43% of US Halloween shoppers begin before October, per the same CivicScience data.
Last year, Spirit Halloween held its flagship grand opening on July 29—earlier than ever before. The event hosted activities such as tarot card readings, face painting, and themed bowling, drawing hundreds of Halloween lovers who camped out overnight in the parking lot to be the first to shop, as well as 3,000 other attendees from across the country.
Lesson: Kicking off holidays well in advance—and with a splash—builds anticipation and gives consumers plenty of time to budget and spend.
By setting up temporary retail stores, Spirit Halloween keeps overhead costs lower, is able to splurge on prime real estate, and can stay agile in its location choices. That means if select locations receive less foot traffic, the company can readjust the following year and move to a more lucrative spot—taking advantage of consumers who live in urban areas, who are twice as likely than those in suburbs to start their Halloween shopping before the summer ends, per CivicScience.
Lesson: With greater flexibility and less of a long-term financial commitment, retailers can invest in pop-up stores to test new markets. Nearly half of US marketers have held brand pop-up events, according to December 2023 data by Splash.
The Spirit Halloween store is known for being immersive, layering music, lighting, and animatronics to create a memorable visit. The experience not only encourages shoppers to stay longer and interact with the space, but also taps into more than two-thirds (36%) of consumers who buy Halloween decorations before October just for the fun of it, per CivicScience.
Lesson: Retailers can go beyond festive displays to engage consumers in meaningful ways by experimenting with in-store events, product demos, and sampling stations.
To generate buzz and brand visibility year-round, Spirit Halloween’s social media team makes ordinary dates special. For example, April 30 is an unofficial “Halfway to Halloween” celebration; and last year, the company rang in Friday the 13th with a takeover of film’s Blairstown Diner in New Jersey.
Between flagship dates, the team keeps its Instagram page active with timely memes, even recently hopping on the latest “Brat girl summer” trend. Spirit Halloween also plays off of its own meme, which features fake, tongue-in-cheek costumes.
Lesson: Maintaining an always-on digital presence can ensure your brand is top-of-mind among consumers even after a busy holiday period ends. To make that presence even stronger and relevant off-peak, be quick and reactive to online trends.
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