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Halloween shoppers are getting an earlier start each year – with some beginning in July. These self-reported, early buyers – specifically those who are ‘more’ excited about Halloween than usual – are 2.5 times more likely to increase spending, creating a prime opportunity for advertisers. Here’s how to reach Halloween shoppers using real-time consumer data to anticipate intent and optimize campaign timing.
Where to Find High-Value Halloween Shoppers
Digital Content Subscriptions
Candy shopping habits – specifically, which retailer they plan to shop at – reveal differences in paid content behavior. Big-box candy shoppers over-index the Gen Pop on paid local news (6pp) and business (3pp) subscriptions, while grocery candy shoppers are much more likely than the Gen Pop to hold paid subscriptions across local news (10pp), health/fitness (7pp), national news (5pp), and business content platforms (5pp).
CPG Brand Preferences
Even within candy categories, purchase behaviors diverge in ways advertisers can use. Kit Kat fans are more likely to buy king-sized bars, while Snickers fans lean toward minis – insights that allow for precise product-level intent targeting.
Retail & E-Commerce Platforms
The 68% of high-value consumers (those who are more excited than usual about Halloween and spending more than in past years) are prime targets for grocery and digital retail campaigns. With these shoppers already active in the market—they’re 10pp more likely to have already purchased Halloween candy—brands that meet them in-store and online stand to capture share early.
Answer Our Poll: Do you typically begin decorating for Halloween before or after October 1?
Unexpected Insights = Advertising Goldmines
CivicScience data uncovers nuances that help advertisers go beyond broad trends and reach consumers in more innovative ways:
Weigh In: Are you a fan of Halloween candy?
Start Your Next Campaign With CivicScience
Real-time consumer insights, not outdated assumptions: CivicScience’s self-reported proprietary data builds custom audiences around current purchase intent, shopping behavior, and evolving brand preferences during key holiday seasons and beyond — fresh insights that stale demographic targeting simply cannot deliver. Want to apply these real-time, intent-based insights to your upcoming holiday campaigns?
