It may feel like the summer just arrived, but as we hurdle through August, the holidays are closer than they appear. With Halloween just two months away, parents and children across the country know that the celebration marked by candy, costumes, and pumpkins won’t be the same as usual. In fact, 58% of moms in a recent She Speaks survey indicated that their family’s Halloween plans will look different, and that number seems certain to rise.

For brands looking to execute marketing campaigns around the holiday, any creative concepts should be centered around this reality. Below, we take a look at how consumers expect to celebrate the holiday and how brands can provide help along the way.

Trick-or-Treating Tweaks

Two months remain between now and Halloween, but moms are already beginning to think about contingency plans for the holiday. When asked what they will consider allowing kids to do for trick-or-treating, here’s how they responded:

Though some parents are currently content to proceed with Halloween like any other year, it’s apparent that the majority are looking for safe alternatives. For brands, this is a clear opportunity to step in and reimagine trick-or-treating within the constraints of the pandemic. Contactless solutions are in vogue in 2020, and it’s easy to imagine trick-or-treating stations outside of homes with hand sanitizer in stow. Likewise, masks have become a part of daily garb, and one can envision brands designing masks that serve as both personal protective equipment and a creative element of a costume.

Fun for the Family

Outside of the typical trick-or-treating, families partake in a variety of seasonal traditions around Halloween, and those will be impacted, too. Instead, some of the top activities that parents plan on enjoying with their children include cooking and/or baking Halloween-themed foods (78%), making crafts (53%), and celebrating with friends/family in a socially distant manner (48%).

For activities like cooking and crafts, branded meal kits or subscription-style boxes would enable consumers to enjoy those activities without the stress of hunting for ingredients at the store. To help bring neighbors together, consider partnering with neighborhood social apps like Nextdoor to encourage activities like a drive-thru decoration tour or socially distant scavenger hunt.

Purchase Process

While consumers have been getting acclimated to purchasing groceries online, that won’t be the case with candy; eighty-three percent of consumers plan to buy candy in stores. However, when asked what would sway them to buy online, 55% of consumers noted that candy assortments sold in a bundle would be of interest. Special incentives will go a long way, too, as 72% of consumers are expecting online retailers to offer deals around purchasing online.

As we navigate the upcoming holiday season, the most important thing is to be empathetic to consumers' situations and to demonstrate that through product offerings and marketing efforts. If your brand is looking to create connections with – and for – consumers this holiday season, contact us today to learn how we can help.

Sources: "Christmas and Holidays 2020: Consumer Priorities and Brand Opportunities." WGSN (2020), "How Will Shoppers Celebrate Halloween and Other Holidays?" She Speaks (2020).