Lisa Topol’s Post

Halloween has transformed into a retail giant, with consumers expected to spend $11.6 billion this year. From costumes and candy to massive yard displays like The Home Depot’s iconic 12-foot skeleton, the holiday has become a marketer’s dream. Aimee O., The New York Times, explores how Halloween evolved from a modest tradition into one of the biggest consumer spending events of the year. Big retailers like Spirit Halloween, Home Depot, and Michaels Stores have capitalized on the growing demand, with Halloween merchandise now hitting stores as early as June. The result? A holiday that appeals to every age group and continues to grow, year after year. https://lnkd.in/d29_MfSa #HalifaxWest #WinTogether #capitaladvisory #MandA #restructuring #operatingadvisory #RetailTrends #Halloween2024 #ConsumerSpending #HolidayMarketing

Can you guess how much America spent on Halloween last year? 👻 🎃 An estimated $12.2 billion! Yes, you read that correctly.  $3.6 billion was on candy alone 💰 This creates a huge opportunity for retailers. We've gathered the latest consumer Halloween trends for 2024 - our favorite has to be the growing popularity of pet costumes! Focusing on trends when planning holiday strategies ensures you are investing in and selling the right products. Explore the 2024 Halloween Sales trends here - https://publit.as/3XZsoX6 #retailtrends #halloween2024 #halloweentrends

Great article, so simple and difficult at the same time

Halloween Spending Faces a 5% Decline, Adding Pressure on Retailers Halloween spending is forecasted to drop by 5% this year, falling to $11.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. This is another setback for retailers already struggling with high inflation, operational costs, and cautious consumer behavior. Retailers like Michaels and At Home, who depend heavily on seasonal surges, are under pressure as consumers cut back on spending. Lower-income households, in particular, have been hit hardest by rising unemployment and persistent inflation, leading to smaller basket sizes and lower sales in key categories like costumes and greeting cards. While some retailers, such as Spirit Halloween, are aiming to capture more market share by opening a record 1,525 pop-up locations in vacant retail spaces, the broader retail landscape faces significant challenges. Spirit Halloween’s mix of affordable and premium costumes may help them navigate the downturn, but their reliance on vacant retail spaces also tells a larger story. The increasing number of empty retail stores - often the result of high-profile bankruptcies like Joann Inc., Big Lots, and Conn’s - is a sign of deeper problems within the industry. The decline in Halloween spending is indicative of larger economic concerns. Retailers with high debt loads, particularly those backed by private equity firms, have struggled to stay afloat as borrowing costs have risen. Many distressed firms lack the liquidity needed to compete with better-capitalized rivals, and the holiday season won’t provide the usual financial relief. Many of these companies are now turning to bankruptcy courts to restructure, as cost-cutting alone is not enough to offset their financial troubles. The implications for businesses and consumers are significant. For consumers, continued inflation and job uncertainty are leading to more cautious spending, not just during Halloween but likely throughout the rest of the holiday season. For businesses, this signals the need to rethink strategies, not just for seasonal spikes but for long-term sustainability in a high-debt, low-margin environment. https://lnkd.in/gfhAmnFV At Havas Edge, we monitor these trends to help businesses adjust to shifting consumer behaviors and economic pressures. As companies adapt their strategies, understanding the evolving marketplace and positioning themselves to weather these challenges is more crucial than ever. #Halloween2024 #RetailTrends #ConsumerSpending #Inflation

Kanye’s Yeezy merch stock liquidation strategy: - premium TV placement during Superbowl 2024, ad promoting the Yeezy.com website - highest Superbowl reach ever thanks also to Taylor Swift - Travis Kelsey relationship (123M people watching live on TV) - $5M estimated media buying cost for 30 seconds (air time in selected cities) - TV ad becoming viral organic post on all Social Media channels thanks to selfie-style video with $0 production cost and all the words straight to the point, never done before - single pricing for all merch, $20; $180 discount on Yeezy Pods (applicable retroactively on demand) - 7% transaction rate, 294 K orders; people buying in bulk to resell later as collectible - single page site with product boxes, 0 fluff; against all digital marketing best practices, but somehow it works; no distractions from the transaction goal, no friction - revenue 24h after Superbowl $19M

Don't get stuck in a rut of the same old - same old. Here's your daily reminder to try something new today! If Spirit Halloween can open a Spirit Christmas store, you can try out that new line of products for your store, or try out that new color of paint. Try something new and have fun with it! #MarketingTips

🎃Ever wonder how pop-up stores like Spirit Halloween rake in millions every spooky season? 🎃 Here's the wild breakdown: 🛒 Spirit Halloween (and similar stores) can operate with astonishing efficiency. Unlike typical retail locations that cost millions and take months to set up, these pop-ups are ready within days or weeks for a fraction of the cost—anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per store! 📈 With this lean model, just three locations open for only two months a year can bring in $1 million in revenue! Talk about making every season count. From rapid setup to tapping into the seasonal surge, Spirit Halloween knows how to deliver frightful business success. Have you ever thought about the pop-up business model? #Halloween #RetailBusiness #PopUpShops #BusinessStrategy #MyFirstMillionPod

🎃 Trick or Treat? 👻 Don’t let the tricks of the season catch you off guard—treat your supply chain right and implement these strategies to keep your operations running smoothly! As #Halloween approaches, it's crucial to prepare your supply chain for the seasonal surge. This Forbes article discusses three spook-proof strategies to ensure resilience during this busy time. https://hubs.la/Q02Vzp-g0 #supplychain #supplychainresilience #riskmanagement

You may already be seeing Halloween stuff in stores already, you might ask, when does Halloween start? I'll tell you: January It usually starts with the Halloween and Party Expo in Vegas. It's here that costume and accessory makers are showing what they got to retailers and when the negotiations begin and which characters are going to be selected to be sold in stores. Imagine making a prediction in January on what costumes to buy for your stores, you're going to have to look at the movie slate and make some bets, so Deadpool and Wolverine, Sonic, Beetlejuice, and Transformers are going to be safe bets. But it's a fairly weak film year due to the strikes last year, so there are going to be more evergreen properties on shelf. They did not know about RayGun in January, so don't expect to find that in stores (although I bet a few will try to crank something out in time on amazon). So if representing the Aussie Breakdance team was your plan, you may have to get your green tracksuit and DIY the rest before they sell out. And you might not want to think about it, but those candy orders also happen really early too. Candy production has to work far in advance to meet the Halloween quotas, most of it starts in the spring.

It's been three years since we opened The Bunker. 🎂 From Wobbling-Dogs to Daily Tidies, we've launched a few games since 2021 with plenty more yet to come... The team will be getting together tomorrow to celebrate by holding our own Oscars for ourselves with these categories: The Brew Master - best drink maker. The Fashionista - someone who always dresses their best. The Competitor - the most competitive in the office. The ‘Pun’isher - a very punny person. The I Understood That Reference - someone who has a reference for everything. Most likely to have the most Loddles. Most likely to create the weirdest Wobbledogs. Most likely to set a speed running world record in Zool. Most likely to survive Still Wakes the Deep IRL. Most likely to cause the most chaos in Make Way. The Recognition Award - someone who goes above and beyond. The Unsung hero Award - someone who does a lot but isn’t always front and center. #WeAreSecretMode