The National Retail Federation predicts that total spending for Halloween will reach $8.4 billion, an all-time high in the annual survey’s history.
Consumers are expected to spend an average of $82.93, an increase of $10 from 2015. Thirty-five percent of purchases will take place online, driving shipping increases.
Costumes, candy and decorations will be the most common purchases. Consumers are expected to spend $390 million on greeting cards, representing 35.4 percent of all purchases.
Consumers will also be shopping sooner: Eight in 10 plan to start in mid-October.
“That is the highest we have seen in the survey history,” said industry analyst Pam Goodfellow. “Americans will enjoy taking advantage of early-bird promotions both online and in-store as they kick off the fall season.”