2009 Halloween Spirit Un-spooked
Zoomerang Press Release
Spending on Halloween is Spooked by the Scary State of the Economy, though Halloween Spirit is Up
Online survey shows more people are getting creative with home-made costumes, and plan to save by celebrating at home
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (PRWEB) October 30, 2009 -- Even as more and more Halloween megastores and online retailers pop up this holiday season, a recent Zoomerang Halloween Survey shows that most people are planning to spend less money this Halloween, but plan to invest more time and creativity in their Halloween activities. More than 200 people participated in the Zoomerang Halloween Survey that was deployed via Facebook and Twitter.
Despite the steady increase in Halloween spending over the past several years, the economy has finally spooked Halloween, with this year's biggest trend best summed up as "creativity on a budget." According to the National Retail Federation's 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, consumers are expected to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween this year, down from $66.54 last year, with total spending expected to reach $4.75 billion. The online survey found that consumers plan to spend an average of $20.75 on costumes (including children's and pet's costumes); $17.99 on candy; $14.54 on decorations; and $3.02 on greeting cards. According to the Zoomerang Halloween Survey, only 30% plan to buy a costume from an online retailer or brick-and-mortar store. While 5% are opting to buy a costume from a consignment or second-hand store, the rest chose to get creative and skip buying a costume altogether.
While retailers are experiencing high demand for Michael Jackson "Thriller" jackets and Kate Gosselin wigs, the majority of Zoomerang survey participants are choosing to create their own costumes using homemade, recycled and borrowed items this year. Some of the creative costume options included "Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder", Feel Good Nurse, Sailor, Supermodel, and a group costume of "The Seven Deadly Sins." The success of Twilight, HBO's True Blood, and The CW's Vampire Diaries has fueled the popularity of the undead: 18% of those surveyed are choosing to be a vampire or ghoul.
Despite continued bleak economic news , 71% of survey respondents are still in the Halloween spirit and plan to participate in Halloween activities. The most popular activities cited were handing out candy and trick-or-treating. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, making it a great time to celebrate all weekend long. Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween, is leading a new "Halloweekend" movement. According to Steve, "With homework, jobs and busy weekday schedules, Halloween often doesn't get the attention it deserves. Halloween deserves a Saturday to call its own, and we all deserve a Halloweekend". Halloweekend seems to resonate with the Zoomerang surveys takers: 38% are choosing to celebrate with friends and family at a costumed house party, while 10% of those surveyed say they are planning to attend a paid event for Halloween.
About Zoomerang
Zoomerang, part of MarketTools, Inc., pioneered online surveys in 1999 to give organizations a powerful, self-service alternative to conduct accurate comprehensive online surveys. Today, Zoomerang is the world's #1 source for online surveys, helping thousands of organizations, including over 70 of the Fortune 100, in over 100 countries. Zoomerang provides a powerful alternative for organizations that need to conduct fast surveys with minimal cost and effort. Zoomerang's business, educational and non-profit customers have created and sent more than 100 million surveys. Zoomerang supplements its surveys with expert professional services, including survey programming, and the recruitment and selection of custom groups of survey respondents. The survey provider also hosts Myspace polls and Facebook polls that you can use to get friends' opinions on your favorite social networks.
To learn more about how you can use Zoomerang to collect great insights for your organization, please visit us at Zoomerang.com and sign up for Zoomerang today.
