"With the holiday falling on a Friday this year, we fully expect there will be a record number of consumers taking to the streets, visiting haunted houses and throwing unforgettable celebrations," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Americans are planning to go big this Halloween, with the average household planning to shell out $125 on candy, costumes, decorations and other Halloween goodies.
The 74 percent of U.S. households that buy Halloween items will collectively spend about $11.3 billion, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation says more than two-thirds of Americans who celebrate Halloween will buy costumes this year, the highest percentage in its survey's 11-year history. NRF says the average person will spend $77.52 this Halloween, up from last year's $75.03.
View full sizeA yawning Kayla Cooke waits to file back into school after a Halloween parade. Americans will spend $2.8 billion on Halloween costumes this year. "There's no question that the variety of adult, child and even pet costumes now available has driven the demand and popularity of Halloween among consumers of all ages," NRF President and Chief Executive Matthew Shay said in a written statement.
"And, with the holiday falling on a Friday this year, we fully expect there will be a record number of consumers taking to the streets, visiting haunted houses and throwing unforgettable celebrations."
Americans will spend $2.8 billion on costumes, including $1.1 billion for children's costumes, $1.4 billion adult costumes, and $350 million on costumes for their pets.
Other Halloween statistics from NRF's survey:
$2.2 billion -- amount people will spend on candy;
35.9 -- percentage of people who send Halloween greeting cards;
71.1 -- percentage of consumers who plan to hand out candy;
46.7 -- percentage who will decorate their homes and yards;
45.8 -- percentage who will dress in costume;
33.4 -- percentage who will throw or attend a Halloween party;
32.1 -- percentage who start shopping for Halloween before Oct. 1; and
18.8 -- percentage who say the economy has cut into their Halloween budget.
Of Halloween consumers polled by ICSC, 8 out of 10 expect to spend the same amount or more than they did last year, and will decide where to shop based on who has the best sales and promotions.
View full sizeAmericans will spend $2.2 billion on Halloween candy this year, according to the National Retail Federation, and 71.1 percent will share it with trick-or-treaters.More than 90 percent of shoppers prefer brick-and-mortar stores for their Halloween shopping, with 31 percent citing the ability to "see, touch or try on the merchandise" as the biggest factor in selecting one store over another.
What's more, 41 percent of consumers surveyed said they plan on "web-rooming," researching items online before buying them in stores. Only 7 percent of shoppers plan to buy Halloween items online.
Besides stores and websites, NRF says 11.4 percent of Americans will check Pinterest for costume ideas, including 21.2 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds, and 21 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds.
"Halloween has continued to grow in importance over the past several years, and consumer demand has driven retailers to place greater emphasis on the holiday," said ICSC spokesman Jesse Tron, in a written statement. "The fact that consumers are willing to spend more on discretionary purchases is a positive sign for the upcoming holiday shopping season."
View full sizePlastic jack-o-lanterns decorate trees in front of Mister Ed's Elephant Museum & Candy Shop in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania. 47 percent of Americans will decorate their homes and yards for Halloween. Besides welcoming Halloween consumers, shopping centers and malls continue to serve as community hubs for the holiday. "Out of the parents planning to take their children Trick-or-Treating this year, 17 percent will participate in a Halloween event sponsored by a mall or shopping center in 2014," ICSC said.
"The top costume will be a superhero and the top costume for girls in 2014 will be a princess," ICSC said.
NRF's 2014 Halloween consumer spending survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, polled 6,332 consumers between Sept. 2 and 8. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.3 percentage points.
ICSC's Halloween spending survey was conducted online Sept. 4 to 7 by Opinion Research Corp. on behalf of ICSC, and includes a "demographically representative" U.S. sample of 1,000 adults 18 and older.