26 October, 2017

Study: Trump Masks This Year’s Must-Have For Aussie Trick Or Treaters

By Kathryn Van Kuyk

Prepare to see Donald Trump en-masse this Halloween as Australian shoppers snap up outfits inspired by the US leader, according to retail sales data from leading point-of-sale software company Vend.

Vend’s data shows a 45 per cent spike in products labelled ‘Donald Trump’ sold over the past month, compared to the same period in September. Retail sales of products labelled ‘Donald Trump Mask’ also jumped by 67 per cent and sales of ‘Uncle Sam’ products increased by 82 per cent.

Popular movies are also influencing Halloween shopping, with IT and Moana standing out in the sales data this year.

Vend’s retailer data shows a 22 per cent increase in sales of products labelled ‘Pennywise’ – the main character from the film IT, and a 35 per cent increase in ‘clown costume’ products. Sales of products labelled ‘Moana’ or ‘Pacific Princess’ also increased by six per cent, whereas sales of Frozen related products (i.e. ‘Elsa’ and ‘Ice Princess’ products) didn’t increase at all from the previous month, so the Frozen craze may be cooling.

Some more traditional Halloween outfits also seem to be continuing their popularity, with Vend’s data showing sales increases for products containing the wording ‘Darth Vadar’ (60 per cent), ‘1990s’ (15 per cent), ‘Werewolf’ (four per cent) and ‘Ghost’ (three per cent).

Dave Scheine, country manager APAC at Vend: “While some of the more traditional costumes will always be popular at Halloween, it’s clear Aussie shoppers also like to make a statement and have a laugh with their outfits. Plus as more millennials come of age it looks like the 1990’s are making a nostalgic comeback. Is it just a spooky coincidence that Trump, Darth Vadar, and Pennywise clown costumes are all popular this year? The data speaks for itself.”

Sydney-based costume store Fancy That Costumes, are seeing similar shopping trends: “Trump masks were massive last year though this Halloween we’re seeing more creepy clowns. People are either asking for the licenced Pennywise costume, or creating one themselves with makeup and special effects. Interestingly, a lot of kids are asking for Pennywise – we find that kids often seek out characters from movies that aren’t rated for them but that they’re watching anyway. But it’s also a misconception that Halloween is just for kids. Our business has always skewed significantly towards adult shoppers,” says Belinda Marsh, Director at Fancy That Costumes.

And it’s treat, not trick, for our local retailers, with the biggest shopping day yet to come – last year’s Halloween spending data shows that sales peaked on the Saturday before Halloween – the 29th October.

“It’s all hands on deck this week,” says Marsh. “October to December contributes 40 per cent of our annual turnover, and October is the second largest revenue month, especially over the next three days. We need to make sure we have enough floor staff on hand to offer advice and idea, plus plenty of hands at the register to make sales. We find that once a customer visits our store and has a positive experience, we’ve generally secured their loyalty so winning them over at Halloween is make-or-break future business for us.”

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