Sell More at Halloween Even if You Don’t Sell Halloween-Specific Items

Total Halloween spending in 2017 will be the highest ever, estimated to reach $9.1 billion, an increase from last year’s $8.4 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.  While candy is still the top Halloween purchase, decorations, costumes and cards are top sellers, and purchases for adults are making up a large part of growing Halloween sales numbers.

While some folks head to Party City, many find Halloween inspiration through online searches and social media:

Right about now you might be super excited if you’re an online seller with an obvious Halloween product, such as candy or costumes. If not, you might be a bit sad. Don’t despair! We have some ways you can increase your sales during the hot Halloween selling time, even if your product isn’t a clear fit:

1. Hatch a Halloween product or products.

   This requires some creativity, but it will be worth it for an increase in sales. Consider these examples:

• Eyeshadows, lipsticks and other makeup can be tied into dramatic looks for people who dress in witch costumes (the number one costume for adults)
• Entertaining items, such as punch bowls, platters, tablecloths and more can be offered as ideas for adult Halloween parties
• Food and beverage products can also be promoted for Halloween parties
• Jewelry and clothing can be offered as costume ideas
• And so much more! With a little research, you can even find a way to sell clothespins for Halloween, with this idea featured in PopSugar:

2. Create Halloween designs.

• “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Design lifestyle images showing how a shopper would be able to use your product. Use real-life people (you, your employees, family and friends) to keep things authentic and lower your costs. Include Halloween décor and props to make them fun. Providing a step-by-step series of images, along with the items used to create the product, are also helpful, such as this example from Hello Nutritarian:

• Video is great, too. It’s perfect for tutorials or instructions. Check out this one on creating Halloween party food:

3. Promote often.

   Since it required a bit of effort to create this Halloween product, you’ll need to educate your customers and prospects as to why they should buy, too. Here are some ways to do that:

• Newsletters and e-mails help educate your customers. Marketing 101 says it’s easier to sell something to an existing customer. Why not let them know how your products can help her or him have an even better Halloween experience. Including details, as well as images and videos is the way to go.
• Social media is essential. The Shopping and Inspiration graphic above shows that Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram are top sources for Halloween inspiration. Include the images and videos you created on those channels, as well as quick tips, so that folks seeking this information will find you. Plus, these channels, especially Pinterest, show up frequently in online searches, which we’ll discuss now.
• Online Search tactics are a must. This is the top way that people get Halloween ideas. While pay-per-click ads promoting your products are an obvious choice, organic search tactics, such as including typical search terms on your website for Halloween products you can provide, as well as writing blog posts with those terms, is less expensive. For example, if you provide witch costume makeup, you could include “witch costume makeup” in your website product description, along with “DIY witch costume makeup,” “makeup for green faces,” etc. You could then write a blog post including those terms.

Even if you don’t sell pumpkins, you can still get a piece of the pumpkin (Halloween!) pie this season. Use these tips to have a boo-tiful Halloween!