 |
 feature
story
nothing
to fear
You don’t have to take risks on
Halloween-specific product. Consumers are looking for transitional décor
that looks great for the holiday and beyond.
by CHRIS GIGELY
Halloween spending is on the rise in the United States, and the latest
trends show there is probably more opportunity for florists with this
holiday than ever before. According to the National Retail Federation’s
(NRF) “2005 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey,” spending
was expected to reach nearly $3.3 billion, up 5.4 percent from $3.1
billion in 2004.
While the average person expected to spend between $48.50 and $51 on
Halloween merchandise in 2005, much of the spending growth came from
young adults. The NRF survey revealed that 18- to 24-year-olds planned
to increase their spending 30.0 percent, from an average of $38.90 in
2004 to $50.75 in 2005. And spending by 25- to 34-year-olds was expected
to rise 14.0 percent, from an average of $54.80 in 2004 to $62.45 in
2005.
This is a sign that the market continues to open up to florists and
other retailers who don’t target the license-dominated children’s
segment of the holiday. Adults want to tap into their inner child at
Halloween, but they’re also adding sophistication to the Halloween look.
“There’s a blurring of the line between kids and grown-ups when it comes
to Halloween,” says Meredith Schwartz, business editor at Gifts &
Decorative Accessories magazine. “A lot of stuff, like Superman, is now
retro and nostalgic for Gen X [25- to 40-year-olds]. I think that ties
in with why Halloween is becoming more popular with adults. You don’t
feel as if you have to outgrow it.”
According to at least one survey, she’s right. The “Shopping in America
Halloween 2005” survey, conducted for The Macerich Company, which owns,
develops and manages regional malls across the country, polled more than
4,300 consumers nationwide and found that 38 percent of them think
you’re never too old to trick-or-treat.
| |
top five halloween decor
trends for 2006
|
|
| |
1
Decorations that are more sophisticated and grown up
2
Seasonal motifs, like scarecrows and pumpkins, that transition
from Halloween
through fall and Thanksgiving
3
Less orange, and more purple, black, white and cream, and
“monster” green (orange is
more of an accent color)
4
Wizard and magic themes
5
Halloween ornaments
|
|
decorations are growing up
Apparently, consumers are never too old to dress up their homes for
Halloween, either. The NRF survey showed that some 47 percent of
consumers planned to decorate their homes or yards last year. The
“Shopping in America” survey was even more optimistic, revealing that
around 62 percent of its respondents planned to decorate.
“Our January 2006 [gift] show was one of the biggest ever, and we
definitely did well with fall product,” says Carla Meehan, marketing
coordinator of burton + Burton, in Bogart, Ga. “We already have several
back-orders reserved for fall product because retailers want to make
sure they have it.”
Ms. Schwartz says Halloween décor is growing up along with the audience.
The designers at Seasons of Cannon Falls, the seasonal décor brand of
the gift company Midwest, in Cannon Falls, Minn., have seen the same
thing.
“Our best-selling collection this year is more sophisticated and
vintage-looking,” says Shelli Lissick, referring specifically to
Midwest’s “Bewitching Hour” collection of Halloween home accents. “We
have several whimsical and brighter-colored collections that are more
kid-friendly, but we’re definitely seeing a shift in what our retailers
are buying. It’s more of an adult look.”
Another sign of the holiday’s maturation is that bold colors seem to be
out. “There’s somewhat of a de-emphasis on orange and an emphasis on
blacks and whites and purples, with orange used as more of an accent
color,” Ms. Schwartz shares. The purples she cites derive from the
popularity of the novels and films about boy wizard Harry Potter, and
the almost-Gothic look lends naturally to Halloween. And with the
publication date of the next Potter book hanging in the balance, the
multimedia juggernaut will remain in the public consciousness this fall.
“We’re also seeing more wizard and magic themes for this Halloween,
thanks to Harry Potter,” Ms. Schwartz notes. “Witches have always been
around, but now they’re more sympathetic.”
blending holiday and décor
The Potter influence dovetails nicely with an everyday design direction
in home décor. “With the purples, golds and silvers, we’re seeing a
resurgence of opulence and almost a feeling of royalty,” says Becky
Boswell Smith, editor-in-chief of Home Accents Today. “Two years ago, we
were saying the new classics were less ornate. Now we’re seeing them
move toward more decorative elements, with more of a European styling.”
So if candlesticks or an ornate silver picture frame would look at home
in Hogwarts, the fictional boarding school in the Harry Potter
franchise, they will be perfect for a cross-merchandised Halloween
display this season.
There are, however, a few unexpected décor trends for the holiday. “I’ve
seen more ornaments for Halloween from companies that do traditional
resin or blown-glass Christmas ornaments,” Ms. Schwartz points out.
“When I first saw them, I didn’t think they’d ever sell through, but
they have.” Consumers are displaying Halloween ornaments in a variety of
ways, including on gnarly Halloween “trees” made especially for ornament
display as well as on traditional ornament displays often designed to
showcase individual ornaments.
| |
halloween facts and figures
|
|
| |
• Halloween is second only to Christmas as
the biggest decorating holiday on the American calendar, with
around 60 percent of consumers purchasing decorations.*
• In one preholiday survey, 47
percent of consumers said they planned to decorate their homes
last Halloween.* In another, that number reached 62 percent.†
• Last year’s consumer spending was
expected to grow 5.4 percent to $3.3 billion (including candy
and costume sales).* Candy accounts for $1.16 billion, or about
35.3 percent, of total Halloween merchandise sales.*
• Most of the growth in Halloween
spending is coming from the adult demographic, particularly the
18-to-34-year-old segment.*
• Average consumer spending on
Halloween-related merchandise last year ranged from $48.50* to
$51.†
• More than half of Americans—the
estimates range from 52.5 percent* to 58 percent†—took part in
Halloween activities last year. Parties with friends and
relatives were the most common events.
• Some 38 percent of American
consumers think you’re never too old to trick-or-treat.†
* National Retail Federation
(NRF) “2005 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey”
conducted by BIGresearch.
† “Shopping in America Halloween
2005” survey, conducted for The Macerich Company by August
Partners.
|
|
seasonal transition
Even the unconventional concept of Halloween ornaments taps into a
prevalent undercurrent in Halloween décor trends: Consumers want items
they can get more mileage out of by displaying them longer. That concept
feeds into the other main design trend for grown-up Halloween décor: the
fall/harvest theme.
Ms. Meehan says that this year burton + Burton is having great success
with themes that can carry over after Halloween. For example, she says
the company’s scarecrow garden stakes and pumpkin motifs are the hottest
sellers because of the versatility they offer both retailers and
consumers. Those products also can serve as holiday décor for
Thanksgiving.
“Lots of times, people are buying things that accomplish both goals,”
Ms. Meehan explains. “They’ll buy big pumpkins and put them in their
yards or use them as centerpieces from before Halloween until after
Thanksgiving.”
“Fall has become such a great opportunity for our customers to increase
their business because consumers are really expanding their seasonal
home decorating at that time of the year,” agrees Mike Stadlberger,
executive vice president of merchandising at Aldik. “Halloween
transitions almost seamlessly into Thanksgiving.”
Once again, the fall seasonal look coincides with everyday trends in
home décor. “Fall colors are nice and strong in general,” says Ms.
Smith, “and then the whole eco/nature feeling is a strong market, and
the harvest look includes natural materials.”
In terms of color, Ms. Smith says copper metallic is the trend in
harvest. And Deb Weidenbach, director of product development at
Sullivans, in Sioux Falls, S.D., cites earthier greens.
“Our collection of olive-colored foliages is doing well,” she says.
“People like them because they can carry them into all seasons. [Olive]
is a great decorative color.”
Mr. Stadlberger also sees muted greens being strong this fall. “We’re
staying away from brights and trying to get as botanically correct as we
can with our colors,” he says. “We’re also incorporating more twig
vines, acorns and fruit—the bountiful look is more popular this year
than ever. Texture is the key, though; it has to be interesting.”
Like the Harry Potter-inspired and vintage looks, harvest décor trends
reflect the growing sophistication of the Halloween season. More adults
may be acting like little kids on the holiday, but they’re still
decorating like grown-ups.
Chris Gigley is an author, speaker and freelance writer who has
covered the gift and stationery market for more than a decade. He
resides in Greensboro, N.C. You may contact him by e-mail at
cgigley@yahoo.com.
• To read and see more,
Click here
to purchase the current issue of Florist's Review. |
