5 Halloween Shopper Trends Candy Brands Need to Know For 2025

Halloween is the Super Bowl of candy. For Confectionery brands, this season is when brand love becomes full baskets and when a smart Halloween marketing strategy turns inspiration into action across every touchpoint.

According to ConfectioneryNews, 94 percent of Americans celebrate Halloween with candy, which makes Halloween commerce essential both in-store and online. The teams that will win are the ones who make every impression instantly shoppable in Candy eCommerce and measure what works with precision.

Halloween Is A Must-Win Moment For Candy

Halloween is not a niche seasonal spike. It is a category-wide shopping event that shapes the full year. Confectionery brands that have a strong, clear Halloween marketing strategy see benefits long after October, collect first-party signals in time for the winter holidays, and foster retailer relationships with proof of demand. 

Halloween commerce is also one of the most valuable moments for Candy eCommerce, since shoppers discover, compare, and buy across platforms. Your job is to meet them with value, quality products, and zero friction. 

MikMak took a look at the latest trends and data from the MikMak Shopping Index to help your Candy and Confectionery brand plan for Halloween 2025. Read on for industry trends, and to learn how you can make this Halloween your sweetest one yet!

Trend 1: Candy Spending Is Holding, But Value Now Decides The Basket

Shoppers are still buying treats, but they are scrutinizing price and promotion more closely. According to ConfectioneryNews, Americans bought confectionery in 98 percent of households in 2024, and average annual spending per person reached 276 dollars, which was a four percent increase from 2023. 

However, now more than ever, value sensitivity is the rule. According to the National Confectioners Association’s State of Treating, 71 percent of shoppers say price is a top three factor, 59 percent say they love “buy one get one” deals, and 45 percent adjusted what they buy to save money. Appealing to the frugal consumer by highlighting coupons and discounts, may inspire purchases from Halloween shoppers this year. 

Confectionery brands also have to contend with a softening snack market. A February 2025 NIQ survey reported by Food & Wine found that 42 percent of consumers are spending less on snacks, influenced by costs, tariffs, and the adoption of GLP-1 medications. To win Halloween commerce in that climate, you need creativity in terms of marketing and product, while remaining clear about price to your shoppers.

Trend 2: Where Candy Shoppers Convert Has Shifted Since Last October

According to the MikMak Shopping Index, conversion dynamics have changed since last season. Here’s what we found:

According to the MikMak Shopping Index, candy shoppers are currently most likely to purchase from media on a Brand Website, with Search close behind. Digital Audio follows. Meanwhile, media on Display, Video, and Social appear lower on pure conversion rate, yet they deliver the reach that feeds audience building for Candy eCommerce. Brands that invest in a balance of lower-funnel channels such as Brand Website, and higher-funnel channels such as social, are most likely to see success. 

Compared to last October, we are seeing a wider array in the channel types that brands are investing in, with high conversions coming from Brand Websites. Optimizing your brand website with a where-to-buy tool may be the secret to inspiring shoppers to purchase your products.

Last October, the pattern looked slightly different. According to the MikMak Shopping Index, Search led conversion rates in October 2024, with 9.07 percent. Meanwhile, Audio followed at 5.44 percent. High traffic platforms like Display, Social, and Audio remained at the bottom.

Trend 3: Traffic Patterns Favor Social While Video And Search Grow

Reach is still dominated by Social, but the mix is normalizing as Video and Search gain share. That matters because it reshapes how you plan budgets and creative flights for Halloween commerce.

According to the MikMak Shopping Index, Social remains the top traffic driver for Candy eCommerce. Video and Search have grown their share, which signals consumers may be doing more research and comparison before a click to retailer. According to Accio.com, Google Trends data shows that searches for “Halloween candy bags” and “party snacks” peak in late September and early October. Optimizing for these keywords can also help your brand show up more in Generative AI Search, as more shoppers begin to leverage AI tools to help make their purchasing decisions.

Confectionery brands should tailor their creative for each stage of the funnel, considering how shoppers may be searching for products, to where they are discovering them (including Social, Display, and Brand Websites).

Trend 4: Meta Drives Reach While Google Leads Conversion

Traffic is only half the story. According to the MikMak Shopping Index, Google is now the platform most likely to convert, which makes investment in paid search and shopping formats especially valuable in the final weeks before Halloween.

According to the MikMak Shopping Index, Google leads conversion rates right now.  Notably, we are seeing an increase in brands investing in a more diverse array of platforms when it comes to running media. Keeping an eye on this first-party data can help your Candy brand’s eCommerce strategy be efficient to set your brand up for measurable Halloween commerce wins.

Trend 5: Innovation, Ingredients, and Experience Drive Buzz

Seasonal novelty helps justify price and earns attention. For example, Mondelēz has leaned into developing an exciting sensory experience for shoppers. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company created a Sour Patch Kids product formulated with a flavorless turmeric extract confetti that glows under a black light, which is perfect for social content and in-store displays.

While fun products can add to the novelty of Halloween, consumers care about ingredients too. MikMak explores this in our recent Holiday Guide for Grocery and Alcohol brands. According to Innova Market Insights, consumers are prioritizing higher quality and simpler ingredients. 

Additionally, according to FoodNavigator, bold fusion flavors and cross-cuisine inspiration are trending with younger shoppers. 

Confectionery brands can use limited runs and clean label cues to refresh relevance. Those ideas travel well in Candy eCommerce and give your Halloween marketing strategy strong creative hooks across paid and owned channels, which support sustained Halloween commerce.

How Can My Brand Prepare For Halloween?

During peak shopping events, like Halloween, shoppers are laser-focused on finding the best deals. Embed digital coupons directly within your shoppable media ads to capture attention and accelerate purchases.

Sometimes, directing shoppers to a single retailer makes more sense than a retailer agnostic approach. MikMak’s platform lets you centralize performance data across campaigns so you can compare single retailer versus multi retailer strategies and optimize your Candy eCommerce in real-time.

Here’s a quick guide to help you decide when to prioritize driving traffic to one retailer versus using a retailer agnostic approach:

Lindt & Sprüngli: Here’s A Candy Marketing Play That Works

Do not limit shoppable media to social channels. Halloween shoppable campaigns also perform across display ads, email marketing, and out-of-home activations. Reach consumers in physical stores by using dedicated QR codes on promotional posters, cards, or packaging.

Brand Example: Lindt & Sprüngli Out Of Home Shoppable Campaign
Last Holiday season, Lindt and Sprüngli used cards with MikMak-powered QR codes paired with chocolate samples for travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. This campaign gave them valuable insights into how consumers interact with samples and physical shoppable activations.

Making your Halloween marketing campaigns shoppable is essential to boost retail conversions, but the real power comes from measuring results, learning from the data, and optimizing your strategy to maximize ROI.

Learn More from Lindt & Sprüngli’s Shoppable Campaign Learnings
Lindt also used MikMak to track and optimize their Advent calendar program in real time. By refining their creative and retailer mix based on the data, they boosted conversion potential by 40 percent and significantly increased attributable sales.

Halloween Marketing Strategy: Next Steps And Resources

Halloween rewards clarity and speed. Confectionery brands that meet shoppers with timely creativity, visible value, and seamless paths to purchase will capture the biggest share of the season. 

Anchor your Halloween marketing strategy in the five trends above, keep Candy eCommerce fully shoppable across every surface, and let signals from the MikMak Shopping Index guide weekly budget shifts. This is how you sustain Halloween commerce and turn seasonal wins into year-round momentum.

For more Food and Beverage insights, check out our recent Holiday Guide for Grocery and Alcohol.

Want insights like these to drive your brand’s marketing strategy? Schedule a demo with MikMak today.