Zombies will roam the streets this Halloween, as an estimated 2.6 million men, women and children are expected to dress up like the living dead.
That jumps the ghoulish costume from No. 22 among top Halloween costumes to the No. 4 spot for adults, and the No. 9 spot for children. Recent books, TV shows and video games have helped reawaken the living dead, in popularity, notes the National Retail Federation. However, witches, pirates and vampires still bested zombies as the top three adult costumes. Princesses, witches and Spiderman are expected to be the top costumes for kids.
Overall, shoppers will spend $2.5 billion to dress up for this year's Halloween festivities. Consumers will shell out $1 billion for children's costumes, $1.2 billion for adult costumes and $310 million for pet costumes, the NRF reports.
The top pet costumes are expected to be pumpkins, devils and hot dogs, though some owners will dress their cats as dogs and their dogs as cats, according to the NRF.
"Halloween isn't just for kids anymore, as adults are just as likely to get in on the fun with clever, unique costumes," notes Matthew Shay, the president and CEO of the NRF.
He adds that having the holiday fall on a Monday will help restaurants and retailers since consumers will likely celebrate devilish festivities from Friday through Monday.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
Other Entries by this Author