Halloween is haunting Canada’s shopping carts far beyond the candy aisle, with consumers snapping up everything from pumpkin-spice coffee pods to glow sticks simply because they’re dressed in orange and black.
More than half of Canadians (53 per cent) admit to buying an everyday product just for its Halloween packaging, according to Lightspeed Commerce.
The trend is strongest among Gen Z and young adults — 85 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 80 per cent of those aged 25-34 say they’ve been swayed by spooky branding — and men are slightly more likely than women to give in to the impulse.
Limited-edition collaborations and in-store theatrics are keeping the momentum alive, with 51 per cent of shoppers saying themed tie-ins influence their spending. From Tim Hortons’ Black Cat merch to DAVIDsTEA’s haunted tea shop and Lush’s spooky bath range, younger Canadians are treating Halloween as a full-blown event, drawn to pop-ups, eerie lighting and exclusive after-hours shopping. Even as cost-of-living pressures persist, thrift stores and dollar shops are seeing a seasonal lift as Canadians mix festive indulgence with bargain hunting — a retail balancing act that’s proving hard to resist.
Once hooked by the branding, Canadians shop it everywhere: big-box retailers are the main destination (45%), grocery and drug stores (37%) and online marketplaces (28%). Dollar stores are the last-minute lifeline, and thrift/second-hand (23% in Canada vs 18% in the U.S.) gets a seasonal lift as shoppers hunt for spooky finds and budget wins.
It’s not just about what’s on shelves. In-store sampling is the #1 draw (49%), and 59% say they’re more likely to visit stores that lean into the vibe with eerie music, lighting, or giveaways – especially Canadians aged 45-54, who love a good tasting (57%), and 24-34 year-olds go for the the ambiance.
John Shapiro, Chief Product & Technology Officer, for Lightspeed Commerce, said there is a lot of enthusiasm and energy from shoppers for Halloween and maybe even amplified this year.
“For retailers, it presents some logistical and supply chain challenges. You want to meet the demand for this enthusiasm and energy with shoppers but we’re also we’re quickly nearing that point at which point the value of Halloween branded items falls off the cliff. So making sure you’re not sitting on too much inventory that you’re letting go that you’ve to have clearance and discount as well,” he said.
Despite challenges for consumers these days, they continue to spend. For Halloween, many purchases are relatively affordable. It could be that as larger or luxury purchases become harder to justify, people still want to participate in something fun and celebratory, like Halloween, without spending too much.
Shapiro said in general the retail industry is seeing younger shoppers drawn in by ambiance and themed experiences, things like Halloween-themed sales, promotions, music, lighting, giveaways, and in-store events. That 24–34 age group, in particular, is really engaging with those experiences.
“Halloween being on a Friday night is very well positioning it to be a real consumer event. We’re seeing a lot of enthusiasm from consumers for Halloween this year,” he said.
“The counterpoint is because of how the calendar is falling . . . possibly because how late in the season Black Friday is falling, we’re seeing a lot of retailers actually shift over from Halloween to Christmas, to Christmas decor. It really kicked off in a lot of ways across big box retailers early in October and normally it’s something that would have happened a little later in the season.
“So I think there’s a bit of a disconnect between what shoppers are expressing interest in right now which is Halloween and where retailers are leaning which is kind of already into Christmas and holiday and shopping season. And maybe there’s some concern given how late Black Friday is that the traditional Christmas shopping period would be compressed so they’re trying to get ahead of it.”
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