Labor Day is approaching, back-to-school shopping is done, so online moms’ thoughts are turning to the next big shopping opportunity-Halloween. Internet measurement company Hitwise reports that Internet searches for “halloween costumes” increased 196% last week versus three weeks prior.
With schools just opening, back-to-school shopping is passé. For instance, searches for backpacks reached their peak during the week ending July 30, and searches were down 29% last week from their peak, Hitwise reports.
Last year, Internet searches for “halloween costumes” began increasing in August and peaked at levels thirteen times normal during the week ending Oct. 9, nearly three weeks before Halloween. In contrast, searches for “halloween,” a term not necessarily shopping-related, began increasing several weeks later and peaked the week ending Oct. 30, 2004, just before Halloween.
Hitwise reports that early search term data indicate that this year’s hot costumes will be related to two of this year’s hit films: “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” and “Batman Begins.” Among the top 30 search terms driving visits to leading costume retailer BuyCostumes.com for the four weeks ending Aug. 27 were “Star Wars costumes,” “Batman costumes” and “Darth Vader costumes.”
Hitwise says Halloween searchers are generally women between 25 and 34 years old.
Visitors to CostumeExpress.com were 97% more likely than the average Internet user to be in that age group while shoppers at BuyCostumes.com were 69% more likely than the average Internet user to be in that age group. Women comprised 58% of visitors to BuyCostumes.com and 56% of visitors to Costume Express. “This may indicate that a large percentage of those searching for Halloween costumes are mothers with young children,” Hitwise says.
The top Halloween costume sites, along with each one’s share of visits from search terms, according to Hitwise:
1. www.halloweenmart.com, 16.76%
2. www.buycostumes.com, 16.18%
3. www.costumeexpress.com, 5.05%
4. www.halloweenstreet.com, 4.30%
5. www.halloweencostumes4u.com, 4.13%
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