31% of Consumers Opt for Private Label Candy for Trick-or-Treaters, 20% Choose it for Themselves; Costco’s Kirkland Signature Leads October Store Brand Candy Sales
CHICAGO, IL October 23, 2023 – Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has released new data on Halloween 2023, sourced from verified purchase data and a sentiment survey of 4,500 consumers on their 2023 holiday intentions. Overall, Halloween may see fewer participants this year with 61% consumers planning to celebrate (vs. 65% in 2022). The majority of celebrators plan to buy candy, predominantly from Walmart, Costco and Target – all of which typically see significant candy share growth in October.
Halloween 2023 Consumer Sentiment Findings:
- Fewer consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year. Less than two-thirds (61%) of consumers say they will celebrate Halloween this year, down from 65% who said the same last year. However, 12% of shoppers are still undecided, which could bring participation above 2022 levels.
- Of those who will celebrate, more than half plan to hand out candy, and one-third will trick-or-treat. Halloween celebration plans include decorating the house (58% of celebrators), handing out candy (56%), trick-or-treating (37%), cooking/baking (27%), attending or hosting a gathering (25%), and attending a public event (23%).
- Candy will remain the top purchased item for Halloween. Four in five celebrators (80%) say they will purchase candy this Halloween. Consumers say the most important decision factors are price (65% of buyers) and special promotions (44%).
- Shoppers are more likely to buy value or store brands for trick-or-treaters and name brands for themselves. Among candy buyers purchasing for themselves, 27% say they will opt for premium or high-end brands, 63% for mid-range or popular brands, and 20% for value or store brands. When purchasing for trick-or-treaters, 15% say they will opt for premium or high-end brands, 58% for mid-range or popular brands, and 31% for value or store brands.
- Candy purchasers are looking for variety. 70% of Halloween candy buyers say they will purchase variety packs, followed by chocolates (53%) and gummy candies (29%). Only 1 in 5 (22%) of candy buyers plan to purchase full-sized candy bars.
- Candy reigns supreme, but Halloween celebrators are making other purchases as well. Nearly half of intended celebrators say they will purchase decorations (45%) and costumes (45%) for Halloween, followed by food (36%) and alcoholic beverages (17%).
- Most consumers will opt to shop in-store for their Halloween items. Over half (56%) of shoppers expect to purchase their Halloween supplies from mass retailers like Walmart and Target, 44% plan to purchase from grocery stores, and 33% plan to buy from club stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club. 18% plan to shop at online retailers.
- Amazon Prime Big Deal Day shoppers paid little attention to the closest holiday. Only 6% of Prime Big Deal Day shoppers said they used the sale to purchase Halloween items, according to a separate Prime Big Deal Days Survey fielded last week.
- Halloween spending will be on par with last year. Nearly a third of shoppers (30%) expect to spend between $26 and $50 on their holiday items, with less than a fifth (18%) planning to spend more than $100.
Candy Share Findings:
- October sees more than its fair share of candy sales. According to Numerator TruView data from 2022, 9% of annual candy sales take place in October, neck-in-neck with December (12%). Chocolate candies account for over half of candy sales in October, experiencing a 1.7x boost compared to other months.
- Walmart, Costco and Target capture the highest share of October candy spend. Costco’s candy share doubled in October 2022 compared to the rest of the year, while other wholesale retailers like Sam’s Club and BJ’s also experienced significant share growth.
Top 15 Candy Retailers, October 2022 Share vs Rest of Year Share
| Retailer | October 2022 Share | Rest of Year Share | Oct Point Change |
| Walmart |
24.0% |
21.8% |
+2.2 |
| Costco |
8.3% |
4.2% |
+4.1 |
| Target |
6.0% |
6.0% |
-0.0 |
| Sam’s Club |
5.2% |
3.8% |
+1.4 |
| Kroger |
5.2% |
4.8% |
+0.3 |
| Dollar Tree |
5.0% |
5.5% |
-0.5 |
| Dollar General |
4.7% |
4.4% |
+0.3 |
| 7-Eleven |
4.0% |
5.4% |
-1.4 |
| Walgreens |
3.2% |
3.1% |
+0.1 |
| CVS |
2.7% |
2.8% |
-0.1 |
| Albertsons |
2.5% |
2.5% |
-0.0 |
| Amazon |
2.1% |
2.7% |
-0.5 |
| Ahold Delhaize |
1.7% |
1.9% |
-0.2 |
| Publix |
1.6% |
1.6% |
+0.1 |
| BJ’s |
1.1% |
0.7% |
+0.4 |
| All Other |
22.7% |
28.7% |
-6.0 |
Numerator’s 2023 Q4 2023 Holiday Preview survey was fielded to 4,496 US consumers in September 2023. Share data comes from Numerator TruView, which captures verified purchase and spending data from over 1 million US households. This analysis compares candy sales in October 2022 to the remainder of 2022 excluding October.
About Numerator:
Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million US households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 2,000 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands’ manufacturers are Numerator clients.
