Top TRICKS of popular brands to TREAT customers this Halloween

Photo Credit: iStock.com/Artist’s evgenyatamanenko

Halloween is right around the corner. Every year, Halloween witnesses a swarm of buyers and consumers flocking the shopping markets, novelty shops and costume stores. While it is definitely a time for holiday festivities, it also offers an ideal opportunity for top brands to capitalize on the seasonal fever. A recent study conducted by the National Retail Foundation suggests that the Halloween spending in the US is expected to reach $ 8 billion by the end of 2013. The survey also shows that 7 out of 10 Americans plan to celebrate Halloween which shows that there is a huge potential for brands to exploit.

Consumer behavior is driven more from emotions than logic. And holiday seasons like Halloween, Christmas and Thanksgiving induce the holiday spirit among people who tend to spend more on these days than they normally do. Many consumers save money before holidays so that they can spend it celebrating the festival. This is the perfect time for top brands and companies from all industry segments to capitalize on the spending spree of consumers.

So how does the holiday seasons like Halloween impact top brands? Here are five common ways in which brands should react to it in order to make the most of the seasonal fever.

1. Capitalize on Halloween Demand

Nike’s galaxy black mint orange speckle glow in the dark.

The biggest impact of holiday seasons for any brand is boost in overall sales. Since an average customer spends relatively more on festivals like Halloween, it provides top brands with a window of opportunity to capitalize on. By introducing relevant products, (in the case of Halloween, costumes, clothing and apparel and candies) For example Nike seeks to capitalize on the Halloween spirit by introducing custom-made sneakers encompassing the Halloween theme. Their latest line of products named Nike KD 6 “Halloween” was officially released on 10th October 2013 in an attempt to boost sales during the season.

2. Connect with Customers

Dunkin Donuts snapped 45 entries in just a week!

Holidays like Halloween provide a great opportunity for brands and businesses to connect with their customers on an emotional level. This can be done through interaction in a materialistic sense as well as through online media. For instance, Dunkin Donuts started a Halloween-themed Instagram contest last year where it asked its consumers to decorate their cups and share it on Instagram with hashtag #DresseDD. Not only did this create social media activation, it also made Dunkin Donuts a socially responsible brand.

3. Disruptive Rebranding

Oreo featured limited edition Candy Corn Oreos

Another impact that holiday seasons like Halloween has on top brands is a change in marketing strategy. Most brands shift from traditional ways of promotion to the disruptive marketing strategies in order to re-shape (or rebrand) their existing product/service to meet the demand of customers. A similar example is that of popular cookie brand, Oreo, that launched candy corn flavored Oreos to cater the strong demand for candy corn on Halloween. By reshaping its product to the needs of the customers, Oreo managed to boost its sales.

4. Holiday Offers and Deals

Personalized M&M’S® made Halloween even more memorable

The holiday season is a time when many brands offer discounts and other attractive deals to its customers to serve a dual purpose. For one, it shows that the brand cares about its customers by helping them out in their holiday shopping. Secondly, it ultimately results in more increase in revenue. Offers like ‘Buy one get one free’, ‘x% off discounts’ and ‘free shipping’ has a deep impact on customers especially in the holiday time like Halloween. For instance, M&Ms offers a variety of personalized deals and discounts on its candies especially on the occasion of Halloween.

5. Increased Visibility Online

37% of consumers say search is their go-to source for gift ideas.

This Halloween, make sure your brand is top of minds of the customers by capturing the undecided holiday shoppers with online search. A recent research study conducted by Google Think Insights on Consumer Intentions on Holidays, 37% of consumers use online search to get ideas for gifts while 51% plan to research online but buy in-store. This is a sizable portion of shoppers that can be tapped. Businesses need to get their businesses web optimized through SEO techniques so that their products/services appear in search results of the customers.

So how does the Halloween and holiday season affect your brand strategy? Let us know in the comments below.