Halloween is big business for retailers and brands. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, it’s the second largest shopping holiday after Christmas.

Many consumers start their Halloween purchases as early as August. This allows retailers to promote products and sales that can drive unplanned purchasing.

Offer limited-time discounts or bundle products to create urgency. It’s a great way to boost your seasonal sales and increase your ROI.

It’s a Seasonal Event

Halloween sales are a great time to offer deals and promotions. But more than that, they’re a perfect opportunity to create scarcity and urgency. Halloween merchandise is a consumable commodity (candy needs to be replenished, kids outgrow costumes), and it’s not a holiday that people can celebrate year-round. This combination of seasonal appeal and limited availability makes Halloween a unique opportunity to drive conversions through promotions that highlight the importance of acting fast before supplies run out.

In addition to a special discount or promo code, many online retailers use countdowns to help shoppers know how much time they have left to make a purchase. For example, Visser Labs offers a tool for WooCommerce stores that displays a countdown of remaining inventory to help retailers clear out their stock efficiently. These tools can also increase engagement by prompting customers to complete a form with their email address to be notified when the sale ends.

Retailers that want to drive more ecommerce conversions during Halloween should focus their marketing efforts on targeted social media and email campaigns. Targeted social media ads can boost brand awareness by reaching specific demographics such as millennial and Gen Z shoppers. And branded email campaigns can remind existing customers about your Halloween offerings and encourage them to make purchases.

This year, COVID-19 may have some retailers and consumers pulling back on Halloween spending. Rising cases of the virus could lead to a decline in demand for candy, costume and decoration supplies that typically provide healthy profit margins for companies from grocers to specialty shops.

However, there are still plenty of opportunities for retailers to attract and engage customers through creative promotions. For instance, creating a Halloween-themed quiz can generate excitement and build customer loyalty. And leveraging the power of gift cards can provide additional value to shoppers who are purchasing products for themselves or as gifts. Plugins like WooCommerce Gift Cards make this easy for store owners. And, last but not least, offering free Halloween-themed gift wrapping can help reduce cart abandonment and increase sales.

It’s a Marketing Opportunity

Halloween is a unique opportunity for eCommerce brands to capture the interest of eager customers and boost sales. Whether your brand sells costumes, candy, decorations, or themed products, this season presents an ideal opportunity to build customer loyalty and promote long-term growth.

Unlike other holidays, Halloween is one of the few times of year where shoppers are willing to spend money on items that aren’t always considered essential. From costume purchases and trick-or-treating supplies to home decoration purchases and greeting cards, the holiday provides an excellent opportunity to entice consumers with limited-time offers and discounts.

To capitalize on this season, it’s important to craft compelling marketing campaigns and content that speak to your audience in a way that aligns with the spooky spirit of Halloween. For example, writing blog posts or creating social media videos featuring Halloween-related tips and ideas can establish your brand as an authority in the niche and draw organic traffic from individuals searching for inspiration.

It’s also a good idea to promote Halloween-related sales, discounts, or promotions on your website and email newsletter. Using visuals such as countdown timers can help create a sense of urgency and encourage consumers to take action before the sale ends. Similarly, displaying a pop-up that includes a witty one-liner and a clear CTA can also be effective at driving conversions.

A key to success during Halloween is leveraging data-driven decisions to optimize your sales and marketing efforts. As the holiday draws closer, review past performance and customer feedback to identify your top-performing channels and best-selling products. Then, make changes to your strategy based on this data, such as reallocating resources or running targeted ads.

Finally, it’s also a good idea to collect customer feedback after the holiday to identify any issues or concerns that may be impacting your business. By obtaining feedback on product quality, shipping speeds, and overall customer experience, you can make improvements that will benefit your entire customer base well beyond Halloween.

It’s a Time to Create Urgency

Halloween is a time to showcase your products and share fun ideas for celebrations. Use social media, email, and your website to create eye-catching content featuring spooky visuals and seasonal colors. This will build engagement and increase your audience’s urgency to shop.

Boost conversions by creating irresistible offers and discounts during your Halloween promotions. Offers like Buy One Get One deals, dollar-off promotions, or percentage discount sales will appeal to last-minute shoppers and drive impulse purchases. You can also introduce limited-run, exclusive Halloween-themed bundles to tap into your audience’s excitement and boost your average order value (AOV).

Offering a hybrid retail experience is another way to capture the spirit of Halloween and encourage conversions. For example, online retailer Spirit Halloween provides a unique blend of physical and digital shopping. Its brick-and-mortar stores feature immersive displays of costumes and decorations. Meanwhile, its digital storefront features a seamless mobile checkout and shopping experience that is optimized for mobile devices.

When promoting your Halloween sales, highlight how other customers have used your products or services. Featuring customer reviews on your website and social media channels will help you to build trust, establish credibility, and generate urgency among your target audience.

If you’re running a long-term promotion, consider launching it mid-October. This will give you enough time to gauge customer readiness and fine-tune your marketing strategy based on the results. During this phase, you can also start ramping up your advertising efforts to attract last-minute shoppers and boost your sales. For instance, you can create a countdown timer and a flash sale for your Halloween offerings and promote them through email or social media. Alternatively, you can leverage a tool like Privy or OptinMonster to create exit-intent popups that display personalized offers and countdowns as shoppers are about to leave your site. This can significantly increase your conversions and boost your revenue. This trick will work especially well when promoting your most valuable and sought-after products. During the last days leading up to Halloween, you can even offer discounts on non-seasonal items to clear out inventory and capitalize on impulse purchases.

It’s a Time to Make Deals

Halloween is a holiday where people are more likely to want things they can’t afford all year round, making it an ideal time to offer special discounts. Whether you run a beauty store that offers free cosmetic samples with every purchase, a coffee shop that provides an extra refill on their pumpkin spice latte, or a Halloween-themed online grocery retailer that adds a fun toy spider to all orders, these special offers can attract more customers and increase your sales.

In addition to offering spooky specials, you can also use Halloween as an opportunity to reward loyal customers with personalized offers that speak to their specific needs and interests. For example, if you’re a clothing store that sells Halloween-themed costumes and accessories, you can launch an exclusive early access campaign for your returning customers by segmenting them based on their previous purchase history. You can then send them promotional emails, text messages or a pop-up on your website with special discounts for the day that’s most relevant to them.

Another way to drive Halloween sales is by running limited-time flash or BOGO offers. A countdown timer paired with these deals can help create a sense of urgency for your audience and boost conversions. This strategy can be especially effective for small business owners looking to clear out inventory in a timely manner.

If you’re running a Halloween sale for your products, make sure to promote it across all channels. Reach out to your email subscribers with a spooky-themed subject line that will encourage them to take advantage of your special offer, and promote it on social media to get more visibility and reach.

Halloween sales are a great opportunity to get more customers, grow your email list and show off your brand’s fun side. By taking a creative approach to your marketing campaigns, you can turn Halloween sales into spine-tingling success for your business this season. Good luck!