20 Halloween marketing ideas to boost your sales

Halloween is just around the corner, and for ecommerce businesses, it's the perfect time to get creative and boost sales this holiday season. With the right marketing strategies, you can tap into the spooky spirit of the season and attract customers to your online store like never before. 

In this article, we will explore eerily effective Halloween marketing ideas for ecommerce, from using social media marketing to crafting enticing email campaigns and designing a website that screams Halloween.

• Engage customers with Halloween campaign-themed store makeovers, exclusive collections, and gamified shopping experiences.

• Use Halloween campaigns to leverage influencer collaborations and interactive social media campaigns to boost brand visibility and customer engagement.

• Create a sense of urgency and excitement through Halloween promotional ideas such as countdown deals, flash sales, and limited-time offers.

• Implement custom Halloween packaging and themed product videos to enhance the festive shopping experience.

• Utilize Gelato's print on demand services to offer high-quality, eco-conscious Halloween merchandise with global shipping capabilities.

Embrace the spirit of the spooky season using some of the best Halloween marketing campaigns listed below. These are designed specifically to enhance customer engagement and drive sales during the Halloween festivities. 

1. Limited-edition Halloween collection

Limited-edition Halloween collections can be a game-changing marketing idea, and when you pair it with Gelato's customizable print on demand services, the possibilities are endless. Leveraging Gelato’s platform allows businesses to create and sell custom Halloween-themed merchandise without the hassle of inventory management. 

• Benefits: Limited-time offers can encourage quick purchases. Unique designs can make your brand memorable.

• Execution:  Collaborate with designers to develop Halloween-themed product designs. Use Gelato's platform to list these items on your online store. 

• Expected outcomes: Increased sales due to the limited-time nature of the products and a surge in brand engagement and awareness.

• Timely promotions: Launch the collection at the beginning of October. Offer early-bird discounts or special deals to create a sense of rush.

• Themed content: Ensure all marketing materials, from email campaigns to social media posts, highlight the exclusive and festive aspects of the collection.

• User-generated content: Encourage customers to share photos of their purchases on social media channels. Offer incentives such as a giveaway or future discounts for the most creative posts.

2. Spooky store makeover

Redesign the look and feel of your online store with spooky elements to fit the Halloween theme. Temporary changes like a dark color palette, bats or cobwebs in the background, or a floating ghost can capture the Halloween spirit.

• Benefits: Enhancing the visual theme of the store keeps it in sync with the season, making the shopping experience more immersive for users.

• Execution: Implement a temporary Halloween-inspired theme. Add elements like floating ghosts, cobwebs, or a haunting background score. The footer or header could be dark or foggy, or the cursor could turn into a tiny witch's broom.

• Expected outcomes: Increased user engagement and session duration, with potentially higher conversion rates due to the festive ambiance.

• Timely promotions: Begin your spooky store makeover at the beginning of October. To create an initial buzz, offer special discounts to the first few visitors after the makeover.

• Themed content: Modify the aesthetics of your online store, integrating Halloween graphics, ghostly animations, and themed product images. Temporary logos, themed banners, and ghostly CTAs (Call To Action) can create a festive ambiance.

• User-generated content: Encourage users to share screenshots or experiences with a specific hashtag on their social media platforms. Offer prizes for the most creatively captioned posts or stories.

3. Limited-time Halloween collections

Launch exclusive Halloween-themed products or bundles. Even if your products aren’t Halloween-centric, you can repackage or bundle them with a spooky twist.

• Benefits: Exclusive collections can draw attention and induce urgency, enticing users to purchase before stock runs out.

• Execution: Collaborate with product teams to create or repackage items with a Halloween twist. This could be as simple as designing new packaging or as complex as launching entirely new products.

• Expected outcomes: Increased sales due to limited-time offers and a boost in brand awareness from the exclusive nature of the products.

• Timely promotions: Launch the collection at the beginning of October and offer early-bird discounts to create urgency.

• Themed content: Ensure every product in this collection aligns with Halloween - be it in design, packaging, or functionality. Product descriptions should also echo the Halloween spirit.

• User-generated content: Ask buyers to share photos of their purchases in use. For instance, if it's a Halloween-themed shirt, a picture of them wearing it at a party would be great. Feature the best ones on your website or social platforms.

4. Countdown to midnight deals

Harness the "witching hour" with flash sales that end at the stroke of midnight. Use a countdown timer to instill urgency.

• Benefits: Creating a sense of urgency and scarcity can drive immediate sales. It also encourages repeat visits to see the latest deals.

• Execution: Host a new deal each day in the lead-up to Halloween. Display a prominent countdown timer on the homepage or product pages.

• Expected outcomes: Increased daily traffic and sales, with heightened customer anticipation.

• Timely promotions: Initiate a countdown a week before Halloween, spotlighting a different deal every night at midnight. This keeps the audience coming back every day.

• Themed content: Your daily deal graphics should be Halloween-centric, possibly showcasing products with a spooky backdrop or using eerie fonts.

• User-generated content: Encourage customers to post their received deals with a unique hashtag. They could also create unboxing videos or showcase how they're using the product.

5. Trick-or-treat discounts

Gamify the shopping experience. At the checkout, customers can choose between 'trick' or 'treat', with 'treats' offering discounts or freebies and 'tricks' giving fun, harmless challenges or riddles.

• Benefits: The gamified shopping experience can enhance engagement and make shopping more fun and interactive.

• Execution: Implement a pop-up or checkout feature where customers can choose to "trick" or "treat." The "treat" could offer discounts, while the "trick" could present a riddle or challenge for a larger discount upon solving.

• Expected outcomes: Higher conversion rates due to engaged and entertained customers, potentially increased average order value.

• Timely promotions: Start this a few days before Halloween to keep the momentum. At checkout, users can "trick" or "treat" for surprise discounts or offers.

• Themed content: The "trick" could lead to a fun riddle about a product, while the "treat" reveals a discount. These interactive modules should have Halloween graphics and sound effects for immersion.

• User-generated content: Encourage customers to share their "trick" or "treat" results on social media. Engage with these posts by commenting or sharing them.

6. Halloween influencer collaborations

Partner with influencers to showcase your products in their Halloween costumes or themed videos.

• Benefits: Tapping into the influencer's audience can expand your brand's reach and provide social proof

• Execution: Partner with influencers, ideally those who resonate with Halloween themes (e.g., makeup artists, costume designers). Have them showcase your products in Halloween-themed posts or stories

• Expected outcomes: Increased brand visibility, higher referral traffic, and potential sales spikes from influencer promotions

• Timely promotions: Collaborate with influencers to promote exclusive Halloween codes or offers valid for a limited period

• Themed content: Ensure the influencer content, be it a video, story, or post, is drenched in Halloween spirit. Maybe they could unbox your product in a haunted house set up or showcase it while dressed in a costume

• User-generated content: Ask the influencer's audience to share their experiences or photos with your products using a special hashtag. This can lead to a spike in user-generated content, which can be leveraged for further promotions.

7. Custom Halloween-themed packaging

Make each order a hauntingly delightful surprise with custom packaging that perfectly embodies the spooky season.

• Benefits: Exclusive Halloween-themed packaging makes every purchase feel festive, potentially encouraging more sales and repeat business.

• Execution: Collaborate with designers to create various Halloween-inspired packaging designs, ranging from playful to spooky. Offer these as an exclusive, limited-time option for all orders during the Halloween season.

• Expected outcomes: A boost in sales due to the unique festive offering, higher customer engagement, and enhanced brand recall, as customers remember the brand that went the extra mile for the festive season.

• Timely promotions: Start promoting the custom Halloween packaging a month in advance, emphasizing its limited availability to create a sense of urgency.

• Themed content: Highlight the packaging designs on marketing channels, showing potential customers the creative and fun designs they can expect.

• User-generated content: Urge customers to share their festive unboxings on social media platforms. Offer incentives or run a contest for the most atmospheric or best-decorated unboxing setup, amplifying brand engagement.

8. Customer costume contest

Encourage customers to share pictures of their Halloween costumes featuring your products with a specific hashtag. The best entry to the Halloween costume photo contest could win a prize, driving engagement and brand visibility.

• Benefits: Engages the customer community and promotes user-generated content, eventually leading to Halloween sales.

• Execution: Promote the contest across all platforms. Ask customers to post pictures using a unique hashtag and possibly tagging the brand. Offer exciting prizes for the best entries.

• Expected outcomes: Increased brand engagement and visibility on social platforms, potential growth in followers, and customer loyalty.

• Timely promotions: Launch the contest in early October, giving customers ample time to purchase, plan, and share their costume pictures.

• Themed content: Develop a specific Halloween event theme for the contest each year, such as "Retro Ghosts" or "Fairy Tale Horrors."

• User-generated content: This strategy inherently leverages user-generated content. Promote the best entries across your platforms to show appreciation and encourage participation.

9. Interactive social media campaigns

Use platforms like Instagram or TikTok to create engaging Halloween challenges or trends related to your product.

• Benefits: Boosts engagement on social platforms and makes your brand memorable.

• Execution: Create fun challenges or trends on platforms like TikTok or Instagram. For instance, a Halloween dance challenge using a specific product.

• Expected outcomes: Potential leads, increased brand awareness, engagement, and sales.

• Timely promotions: To build anticipation, start teasing the campaign a month before Halloween. Offer time-limited rewards for participants.

• Themed content: Center challenges or trends around the Halloween party, such as a pumpkin carving contest or home decoration.

• User-generated content: Interactive campaigns rely on users creating and sharing content by nature. Highlight the best content to motivate and reward engagement.

10. Frighteningly good email campaigns

Make email outreach part of your Halloween marketing campaigns. Use eerie subject lines to ensure high open rates, and include exclusive discounts to make the email even more tempting.

• Benefits: Directly reach your existing customer base with tailored, festive content.

• Execution: Design email templates with engaging headlines and include exclusive offers or spotlight-specific products in your Halloween marketing campaign.

• Expected outcomes: Increased open and click-through rates, leading to higher conversion from email marketing.

• Timely promotions: Sequence emails to build anticipation, starting with teasers, followed by promotions, and culminating in last-minute deals.

• Themed content: Emails should have attractive Halloween decorations, using themed graphics, fonts, and copy.

• User-generated content: Feature reviews or pictures from previous customers showcasing how they've used your products for Halloween.

11. Spooky product videos

Create short, spooky video commercials or GIFs highlighting the benefits of your products. They can be humorous, scary, or simply intriguing.

• Benefits: Visually engaging content that can effectively showcase product features.

• Execution: Create product videos with a Halloween twist – perhaps set in a haunted house or involving zombies.

• Expected outcomes: Enhanced product understanding, leading to higher sales, increased video shares, and brand visibility.

• Timely promotions: To maximize the purchase drive, release teaser videos early and full product videos closer to Halloween.

• Themed content: Video settings, music, and narrative should align with the Halloween-themed contest, making products more enticing.

• User-generated content: Encourage customers to make their themed videos with your products. Compile and share the best ones.

12. Pop-up Halloween discounts

Use web pop-ups featuring Halloween graphics to offer limited-time discounts or to highlight exclusive products.

• Benefits: An immediate attention grabber leads to impulse buys.

• Execution: Use web pop-ups with Halloween graphics to offer limited-time discounts or showcase exclusive products.

• Expected outcomes: Increase in conversion rate and average order value.

• Timely promotions: Use pop-ups to announce flash sales, early bird offers, or last-minute Halloween promotions and deals.

• Themed content: Design pop-ups with Halloween aesthetics, ensuring they are motivating and aligned with the festive season.

• User-generated content: Offer an additional Halloween sale discount if users share their purchase or cart on social media, fostering organic promotion.

13. Halloween-themed blog posts and tutorials

Publishing Halloween-themed blog posts and tutorials can be a great way to engage your target audience, showcase your products creatively, and drive traffic to your online store. 

• Benefits: Regularly updated, engaging content can improve your website’s SEO ranking, attract new visitors, and establish your brand as an authority in relevant niches. 

• Execution: Brainstorm a list of topics that align with both Halloween and your brand’s offerings. Develop a content calendar to schedule posts throughout October. 

• Expected outcomes: Increased website traffic, higher engagement rates on your blog and social media channels, enhanced brand authority, and potentially higher conversion rates.

• Timely promotions: Start posting Halloween-themed content at the beginning of October to steadily build momentum as the holiday approaches. Align blog posts with product launches or special discounts. 

• Themed content: Each blog post should be visually appealing and integrated with Halloween themes. Use spooky graphics, themed fonts, and eerie yet engaging headlines. 

• User-generated content: Encourage readers to try out your tutorials and share their results on social media using a unique hashtag. 

14. Halloween-themed loyalty program rewards

Revamp your loyalty program with Halloween-themed rewards to excite and entice loyal customers. Offer exclusive, spooky rewards, such as limited-edition products or special discounts, to your loyal customers.

• Benefits: Tailoring loyalty program rewards for Halloween can deepen customer engagement and increase brand loyalty, leading to repeat purchases.

• Execution: Update your existing loyalty program to feature Halloween-themed rewards. Offer special incentives like "Double Points Week" for purchases made on Halloween-themed products.

• Expected outcomes: Enhanced customer engagement and higher enrollment in your loyalty program, leading to increased repeat business and overall sales.

• Timely promotions: Send out email reminders and social media alerts to keep customers informed and engaged throughout the month.

• Themed content: Design loyalty program materials and promotional content with spooky graphics, eerie fonts, and Halloween-centric language.

• User-generated content: Run a contest for the best post showcasing their loyalty rewards and feature the top entries on your website or social media pages. 

15. Ghostly giveaways

Engage your customers with thrilling Halloween events like ghostly giveaways that can spark excitement and curiosity. 

• Benefits: Create a buzz around your brand and its Halloween promotions. A positive shopping experience increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.

• Execution: Decide on the type of giveaways: product samples, discount codes, or exclusive products. 

• Expected outcomes: An uplift in sales driven by the giveaway incentive. Enhanced customer loyalty through positive interactions and rewards.

• Timely promotions: Announce winners or distribute giveaway items closer to Halloween to maintain excitement.

• Themed content: Create graphics and promotional materials that align with the Halloween theme. Use spooky fonts and imagery, such as ghosts, pumpkins, and cobwebs, to attract attention. 

• User-generated content: Feature the best posts on your channels to build community and further promote your Halloween offerings.

16. Spooky scavenger hunt

Engage your audience by organizing a digital scavenger hunt. This interactive game presents challenges related to your products and can boost engagement and increase sales. 

• Benefits: This activity can increase interaction on social media channels and create a sense of community and fun among your customer base.

• Execution: Create a series of clues or challenges that participants must complete to move to the next stage of the scavenger hunt.

• Expected outcomes: Increased web traffic, heightened user engagement, and a boost in sales as participants explore different areas of your website and products.

• Timely promotions: Announce the scavenger hunt a week before it starts, allowing users to mark their calendars and to build excitement. 

• Themed content: Ensure all clues, graphics, and challenges align with a Halloween theme. Use spooky visuals, eerie music, and haunted-house narratives.

• User-generated content: Encourage participants to share their progress and completion of the scavenger hunt on social media using a unique hashtag.

17. Halloween recipe sharing contest

Get your customers' culinary creativity flowing with a Halloween recipe-sharing contest. Encourage them to share their best spooky recipes using your products for a chance to win exciting prizes. 

• Benefits: Engage your community, promote user-generated content, and highlight how your products can be used in Halloween-themed culinary creations.

• Execution: Ask participants to submit their recipes by tagging your brand and using a specific hashtag. Ensure detailed guidelines are provided, including using your products in the recipe.

• Expected outcomes: Increased engagement on social media, an influx of user-generated content, and higher brand visibility as participants share their entries with their followers.

• Timely promotions: To maintain momentum, offer smaller weekly prizes leading up to the grand prize.

• Themed content: Share your own spooky recipe ideas to inspire participants and demonstrate the possibilities with your products.

• User-generated content: Showcase user photos, videos, and step-by-step instructions to highlight the creativity within your community.

18. Halloween DIY craft tutorials

Create and share fun and simple DIY craft tutorials that customers can replicate at home. These can include Halloween decorations, costume accessories, or themed party supplies. 

• Benefits: DIY tutorials can position your brand as a resourceful and creative entity, driving organic engagement and potentially increasing sales of related products.

• Execution: Develop a series of craft tutorials and post them as blog articles or videos. Use materials that can be conveniently purchased from your store. 

• Expected outcomes: Increased website traffic and engagement, elevated brand perception as a creative and interactive brand, and potential sales uplift.

• Timely promotions: Start sharing these tutorials beginning in mid-September to give customers ample time to gather supplies and start their projects before Halloween. 

• Themed content: Each tutorial should center around Halloween themes, such as ghosts, pumpkins, witches, or spooky spiders.

• User-generated content: Encourage customers to share their completed projects using a specific hashtag. 

19. Halloween-themed quizzes and games

Engage your audience with Halloween-themed quizzes and games incorporating elements of your products and brand. 

• Benefits: Interactive content like quizzes and games can captivate your audience and keep them on your site longer, increasing the likelihood of conversions. 

• Execution: Develop a series of Halloween-themed quizzes or games, such as a quiz titled "Which Halloween Monster Are You?".

• Expected outcomes: Higher engagement rates, increased time spent on your website, more user-generated content, and potentially higher sales due to the increased brand interaction. 

• Timely promotions: To motivate engagement, offer exclusive discounts or prize entries for participants. 

• Themed content: Ensure the quizzes and games' design features Halloween colors and graphics. Use spooky fonts and sound effects.

• User-generated content: Encourage participants to share their quiz results or game scores on social media using a specific hashtag. 

20. Local events

Partner with local community centers, schools, or other businesses to host Halloween-themed events such as pumpkin carving contests, haunted house tours, or festive fairs. 

• Benefits: Engaging in local events helps increase brand recognition within the community, creates goodwill, and encourages community support. 

• Execution: Set up a booth or sponsor activities where your products can be showcased or used and hand out branded merchandise or samples. 

• Expected outcomes: Increased local brand awareness, potential on-the-spot sales, and strengthened community ties. 

• Timely promotions: Begin collaborating with local event planners and securing your participation at least a month in advance. 

• Themed content: Create spooky banners, themed backdrops for photo opportunities, and product displays that fit the festive theme.

• User-generated content: Offer incentives like discounts or entry into a prize draw for posts featuring your products or booth.

Incorporating these strategies can boost sales during the Halloween season and increase brand engagement, loyalty, and visibility. By intertwining the festive spirit with ecommerce strategies, businesses can create a memorable customer shopping experience.

Here are some standout examples from recent years that effectively captured the Halloween spirit while driving brand engagement and sales.

1. Starbucks - Halloween Frappuccino 

In 2022, Starbucks introduced a limited-edition Halloween Frappuccino called the "Witch's Brew." The drink was vibrant green, mixing fruity flavors and a spooky purple whipped cream topping. 

Key elements include: 

• Limited-time offer to create urgency

• Engaging visuals and unique product design

2. Disney - Villains After Hours 

In 2023, Disney hosted a series of "Villains After Hours" events at its theme parks. These exclusive events featured themed parades, villain meet-and-greets, and special Halloween-themed merchandise. 

Key elements include: 

• Exclusive in-person experiences

• Immersive environments that align with the Halloween theme

3. McDonald's - Halloween Happy Meal 

In 2023, McDonald's brought back their Halloween-themed Happy Meal buckets. These collectible buckets featured different Halloween designs and added an element of nostalgia for parents. 

Key elements include: 

• Leveraging nostalgia to appeal to parents

• Collectible items that encourage repeat visits

4. Nike - Spooky Sneaker Drop 

Nike launched a limited-edition line of "Spooky Sneakers" in 2022. Each shoe design featured glow-in-the-dark elements and Halloween-themed graphics. 

Key elements include: 

• Exclusive product lines with limited availability

• Visually striking design that appeals to collectors

5. Google - Interactive Doodle 

In 2023, Google created an interactive Halloween-themed Doodle game for its homepage. The game encouraged users to engage with the brand in a fun and interactive way. 

Key elements include: 

• Interactive and engaging user experience

• Global reach through placement on the Google homepage

6. Spirit Halloween - "Spirit Halloween: The Movie" 

Spirit Halloween promoted a series of short horror films in 2022, which were released on its social media channels. These films featured popular Halloween costumes and decorations available in its stores. 

Key elements include: 

• Creative content that aligns with their product offerings

• Use of storytelling to capture the audience's attention

7. Target - "Hyde & Eek! Boutique" 

Target launched its "Hyde & Eek! Boutique" both online and in-store, featuring exclusive Halloween products, from decorations to costumes. 

Key elements include: 

• A comprehensive product line that appeals to a wide audience

• Value-added content such as DIY and party planning ideas

Now you know how to captivate your audience and boost sales with our Halloween marketing ideas. But how do you manage inventory, ensure quality, and deliver globally?

Gelato's global print on demand platform is here to help.

Gelato offers businesses custom-designed Halloween merchandise like t-shirts, posters, and mugs without extensive inventory or upfront investment. Gelato's global network of print partners ensures Halloween products are printed closer to the customer's location, reducing shipping times and ensuring prompt delivery.

Ready to spread the spooky cheer and celebrate Halloween with custom merchandise? Sign up for Gelato today!

How profitable is Halloween?

Halloween is incredibly profitable, particularly for the retail and ecommerce sectors. In the US alone, consumers spent approximately $10 billion in 2021 on costumes, decorations, and candy. 

When should I start Halloween marketing?

For maximum impact, begin your Halloween marketing efforts at the start of October. This allows ample time to build excitement, run multiple campaigns, and convert interested prospects into buyers. 

What do Halloween shoppers spend the most money on?

Halloween shoppers splurge the most on costumes, decorations, candy, and party supplies. Costumes, both for children and adults, lead the spending, while home and yard decorations closely follow. 

What companies profit the most from Halloween?

Retail giants like Walmart, Target, and Amazon; costume and candy companies such as Spirit Halloween and Hershey's; and entertainment companies, including Disney and Universal Studios, see significant profits during Halloween.