Shopping in America Survey: Halloween No Spook to Consumer Spending; Costumes to Be Inspired by Harry Potter, Star Wars, Paris H
September 27 2005 - 11:08AM
Business Wire
Neighborhoods will soon be filled with Harry Potter and Star
Wars-clad trick-or-treaters, shows the Shopping in America
Halloween 2005 survey conducted for The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC)
by August Partners. The national survey of more than 4,300 shoppers
reveals that consumers plan to spend an average of $51.00 -- up 3.6
percent from 2004 -- on Halloween-related purchases this year.
Halloween Activities and Spending The majority (58 percent) of
American shoppers plan to take part in Halloween activities,
according to the survey. Parties with friends and relatives ranked
as the most popular pastime (selected by 50 percent of
participants), followed by trick-or-treating and handing out treats
(both 38 percent). Separately, 44 percent of Halloween revelers
will trick-or-treat this year, up slightly from 41 percent in 2004.
The majority (60 percent) will wear a costume, also slightly higher
compared to last year (56 percent). Twenty-one (21) percent of pet
owners plan to dress up their pets. "Consumers continue to show an
interest in all things Halloween -- whether parties, costumes or
the traditional trick-or-treating," said Garry Butcher, vice
president of marketing and consumer research for The Macerich
Company. "Shoppers in the southern region of the country plan to
spend the most for their Fright Night fun at $55.77 -- above the
national average of $51.03. Northeasterners will spend the least at
$47.19." -0- *T Halloween Spending - 2005
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Total West Midwest South Northeast ------------- -------------
-------------- ------------- ------------- $51.03 $50.22 $48.09
$55.77 $47.19 *T Higher household income shoppers will spend more
on Halloween than lower household income shoppers. Those in the
$200,000+ category will spend the most at $80.15, while the
$30,000-$40,000 segment will spend the least at $40.69. Top Costume
Categories For those dressing-up this Halloween, Harry Potter, Star
Wars, Batman, and the Fantastic Four will inspire the most popular
television/movie character costumes, according to the survey.
Shoppers ranked headline grabbers Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson,
Jessica Simpson, and the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes duo as the most
popular celebrity costume inspirations for 2005. -0- *T Top
Character Costumes
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Harry Potter 21% Star Wars 18% Batman 14% Fantastic Four 12% Dora
the Explorer 9% Napoleon Dynamite 6% Dukes of Hazzard 6% Sponge Bob
Square Pants 5% Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 5% Family Guy 3%
Top Celebrity Costumes
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Paris Hilton 17% Michael Jackson 16% Jessica Simpson 13% Tom
Cruise/Katie Holmes 11% Britney Spears/Kevin Federline 8% Martha
Stewart 8% Donald Trump 6% Dave Chapelle 6% Lance Armstrong 2% Not
Sure/Don't Know 13% *T Shoppers named scary looks, TV/movie
characters, and fantasy looks as the top overall costume
categories. -0- *T Top Costume Categories
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Scary/Evil 25% TV/Movie Character 20% Fantasy 19% Occupation 11%
Period Costume 9% Humorous 8% Animal 5% Celebrity 3% *T Costume
Shopping and Inspiration According to the survey, creative
expression (26 percent), entertainment (23 percent), tradition (12
percent), and trendiness (10 percent) will be the greatest
influences on costumes this season. Friends/family (8 percent),
news headlines (3 percent) and politics (2 percent) will have less
of an influence. About 16 percent of respondents were not sure what
would inspire their costumes. "Two-fifths (40 percent) of shoppers
will buy their costume at a store, while 24 percent will make their
own costumes," said Butcher. "Only one percent of shoppers will
purchase their costumes online." -0- *T Costume Sources
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Buy from Store 40% Make It 24% Rent from Store 3% Borrow 3% Buy
Online 1% Combination 16% Not Sure/None of Above 13% *T Head Start
on Holiday Shopping "Holiday shopping lists are already underway
for many Americans," added Butcher. Fifteen (15 percent) of
shoppers surveyed have already started buying for Christmas or
other winter holidays, an additional 8 percent will start prior to
Halloween, and 18 percent will start after Halloween but before
Thanksgiving. Thirty-six (36) percent will start after Thanksgiving
and 23 percent do not know when they will begin. Shopping in
America is a national shopper intercept survey that studies
consumer-shopping trends. The Halloween 2005 survey was conducted
among 4,345 shoppers in 13 regional shopping centers geographically
spread throughout the United States. Respondents ranged in age from
12 to 75+ years. Not all results are stated in this news release
and some are rounded to the nearest whole number. Data totals are
subject to a +/- 1.5 percent margin of error. To view the complete
Shopping in America results, visit www.shoppinginamerica.biz.
Please look for additional Halloween survey results in October. The
Macerich Company is a fully integrated self-managed and
self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on
the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment
of regional malls throughout the United States. The Company is the
sole general partner and owns an 81% ownership interest in The
Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich now owns interests in
properties totaling approximately 77 million square feet of gross
leaseable area consisting primarily of interests in 76 regional
malls. Additional information about The Macerich Company can be
obtained from the Company's Web site at www.macerich.com.
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