Data shed light on candy corn's appeal

PHILADELPHIA – With Halloween lurking, Rite Aid released findings on consumers’ favorite trick-or-treating novelties and seasonal shopping habits, based on an examination of sales data from a year ago. Rite Aid says the data reveal unexpected insights around how Americans prepare for Halloween night.

More than 2.8 million pounds of Halloween candy was purchased through Rite Aid last year, which the retailer points out is the equivalent weight of the Statue of Liberty replicated six times.

Last year, the most popular chocolate candies sold by Rite Aid included M&M’s, Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins and Milky Way bars.

Other sweet and sour favorites included Skittles, Tootsie Pops and Haribo gummies. Rite Aid says it sold more than 138,000 pounds of candy corn, making the tri-colored treat one of its top sellers.

The retailer also notes that while its shelves are stocked with Halloween candy for weeks, its shoppers tend to be “candy procrastinators.” About 45% of its bagged candy purchases were made the week leading up to the holiday, though the day before Halloween was the most popular day for Rite Aid shoppers to pick up candy for trick-or-treaters.

Cart affinity data from last season revealed the top products that shoppers picked up when buying their Halloween candy. These include what the retailer called quirky accessories and décor. Sharing Halloween shopping baskets last year were candy corn lights, pumpkin carving kits, devil headbands, Halloween crew socks and nail tattoos.

“Halloween is an exciting time of year at Rite Aid and a great opportunity for us to give customers their favorite seasonal finds in a convenient one-stop shop,” says Andre Persaud, chief retail officer at Rite Aid. “This year, we’ve carefully curated our Harvest and Halloween collections to ensure our customers can celebrate and get the most out of their fall festivities.”