Shopping Blog

Are you an Elsa, Olaf or Anna? Judging by the top trending searches for Halloween costumes on Google, you’re going to see a lot of each on the streets this October 31. The characters from Disney’s animated blockbuster make up three of the top five trending costumes this year.

While last year’s list featured popular choices from TV (Breaking Bad) and the viral video “What Does The Fox Say,” movie-themed costumes are dominating this year. Maleficent and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes round out the top five. Costumes from Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America and The Avengers take places 6 through 8, while video-game Assassin's Creed and pet costume were the only non-movie themed costumes trend to make the Top 10.



With more than half of their traffic coming from Google, online retailer BuyCostumes.com anticipated the surge in interest around these top costumes and tailored their Google Search advertising to ensure that they’re connecting with consumers as they’re looking for this season’s popular costumes.

“We watch the trends with a keen eye, especially around this time of year,” said Jennifer Dominiquini, chief marketing officer for BuySeasons, Inc., parent company to BuyCostumes.com. “It is important to us to leverage the trends and ensure those searching for them are finding our brand in their search.”

Trick or Doggy Treat? 

It’s no surprise that canine companions frequently join the family as they take to the streets, going door to door, but more and more people are looking to incorporate their dogs into the Halloween spirit. Searches for dog costumes are trending nearly 15% higher than last year, and one pet even costume managed to crack the Top Ten trending costumes. At number 9 on this is ‘spider dog’, no doubt inspired by the viral video sensation ‘Mutant Giant Spider Dog’, which has generated more than 99 million views on YouTube since the beginning of September. BuyCostumes.com has been seeing a surge in interest around pet costumes this season, with people also looking for ways to incorpoate their animal friends into themed costumes for the whole family.

Halloween, The DIY Way 

Halloween is one of those holidays filled with the do-it-yourself spirit, particularly if the DIY costume and general Halloween trends on Google Search are any indication:


But nowhere is the the DIY Halloween spirit more alive than on YouTube. Last year, nearly one out of three Halloween costume searches on YouTube were for DIY costumes. Searches for DIY costumes on YouTube grew more than 200% in 2013 compared to the previous year.

One DIY area on YouTube that sees a significant seasonal spike every year for Halloween is in makeup. Searches for makeup on YouTube hits a high each October as millions of people search for Halloween inspiration and tips.

Whether you’re looking to show off your inner Elsa, are searching for the best outfit for Fido, or are looking to wow your friends with your DIY prowess, there are tricks and treats available for everyone this Halloween.

Posted by Danielle Bowers, Data & Trends Manager

You’ve heard a lot from us about emerging nonline trends this year - and that trend continued this past Halloween season, where trick-or-treaters no longer recognized a divide between online and offline shopping.

Neither did smart businesses.

For years, costume sites made convenience and inventory the hallmarks of their success. This year, with increasing consumer demand around Halloween and more multi-good retailers getting into the game, those businesses needed to rethink ways to capture the interest of savvy shoppers.

This year we saw costumes retailers invest more than ever in mobile websites, video content, and improved product pages to engage with shoppers wherever they were searching, whether from the candy aisle or a haunted house. By ensuring they were present across all screens, these retailers were able to capitalize quickly on offline events, most predominantly those of the elections frenzy.

Practically overnight, Big Bird made the jump from Presidential debate quote to a digital supertrend, even for trick-or-treaters. Google searches for “Big Bird costumes” exploded online, with searches spiking more than 700% following the debate. Retailers like HalloweenCostumes.com mobilized quickly on search and shopping to catch the eye of interested consumers, selling out of their Big Bird costume inventory in just three days. We saw similar spikes for “binders full of women” costume searches, which even outpaced searches for Mitt Romney masks. CafeMoms, one of YouTube's original channels, offered a how-to tutorial on how to make a "Binder Full of Women" costume from scratch, which racked up over 35,000 views.

Beyond binders, trendy trick-or-treaters got crafty with homemade costumes, with a little help from YouTube. DIY makeup tips for sugar Skulls and zombie mouths lead to some frightening original looks. And many trick-or-treaters took inspiration from YouTube for their costumes, looking beyond popular TV and film-based character options to YouTube stars for ideas. Retailers could market a whole new set of products and won an uptick in costume sales for YouTube stars like Gangam Style's Psy, The Annoying Orange, and The Guild.

Each costume search--whether Romney, Obama, Psy, or Big Bird--signified an opportunity for nimble retailers to connect with interested shoppers, wherever they were looking for costumes. Retailers who acted quickly and engaged with shoppers through tools like tailored search ads, how-to videos, and special offers won that zero moment of truth.

As we move into the holiday gift-giving season, retailers will continue to establish connections online that could only previously happen offline. And while we’re waiting to see what breakout toy trends emerge this year, you can bet costume retailers will be ready to go with the Santa suits.

Posted by April Anderson, Retail Industry Director for the Google Retail Team

(cross-posted on the Official Google Blog and the Inside Search Blog)

The pumpkins are carved, the spiderwebs are hanging,
Kids and their pets are door-to-door banging,
Witches on their brooms and owls on their perches,
Let’s take a look at some Halloween searches.

Halloween searches are some of our favorite trends to look at all year. Using Insights for Search and some internal data, we took a peek at which costumes and candies are on top in the United States.

This year seems to be about the battle of the birds. Searches for [angry birds costume], based on the game phenomenon that has so many of us addicted, have been steadily rising in 2011, and we’re seeing 10 times more search volume this year than last. But as of mid-October, the Angry Birds were overtaken in search by [black swan costume]. The Darren Aronofsky ballet drama seems poised to be the most popular costume idea by All Hallows Eve, with related searches for everything from [black tutu] to [black corset]. Some are even looking to be the alter ego [white swan].


Meanwhile, search data doesn’t seem to show that anyone is too anxious to be the object of the Angry Birds’ rage—at least not independently from their sworn enemies. Although [angry birds costume] is one of the top 10 fastest-rising searches related to [pig costume] over the last 90 days, another three are focused on a much sweeter piglet, the cartoon favorite Olivia.



Birds aside, this year’s fastest rising costumes in the U.S. overall are inspired by a variety of sources from pop culture over the past year, including TV shows—[pan am], [wilfred]—movies—[smurfette], [tron], [captain america]—pop music—[nicki minaj]—and more [monster high].

In fact, we may have a battle of the pop goddesses on our hands as well as a battle of the birds. During 2009 and 2010, homegrown Lady Gagas were trick-or-treating throughout the country, but while Lady Gaga still rules the music charts, she’s a far less popular costume choice this year than in 2010:


And although overall in 2011 [lady gaga costume] leads [nicki minaj costume] in search volume, right now they’re neck and neck:



We’d be lying if we weren’t hoping that at least a few Minaj fans out there choose to pay tribute to her by dressing up as uberfans eight-year-old Sophia Grace and her cousin, the two little girls who blew away YouTube viewers with their performance of “Super Bass.”

Speaking of YouTube, Halloween doesn’t fall on a Friday this year, but that’s not stopping people from dressing up as Rebecca Black:



Even if you don’t want dress up as a YouTube star, YouTube can still help you create your Halloween costume. Head on over to the YouTube Blog for video tutorials and other inspiration.

Lest you think Halloween is just for humans, take a look at the huge amount of searches for [dog costume]. In terms of get-ups actually intended for canines, ewoks and dinosaurs are the fastest-rising related searches. But two of the top five rising searches in 2011 related to [dog costume] are a little quirkier: at least a few people out there may dress up as the eponymous character from FX’s “Wilfred” show, about a dog, and a man who sees the dog as a man dressed in a dog suit. Kinda meta.


Turning from costumes to the other traditions of this holiday, searches for [haunted house] and [pumpkin patch] are both spiking right now, but there seems to be greater interest in spooky thrills than in finding that perfect pumpkin to carve. Maybe spiderwebs and peeled-grape eyeballs are a less scary proposition than running into the [great pumpkin] (from the classic movie which, incidentally, celebrates its 45th birthday this Halloween).



Everyone has a sweet tooth this time of year, but [candy corn] is remains the undisputed king of people’s cravings. In the last 30 days, search volume is nearly twice as high for [candy corn] than for other candy choices:



Per capita, Alabama is searching the most for [candy corn] this year. Here are the states that searched the most for a few other Halloween sugar staples (and some newcomer treats):

• Candy apples - Rhode Island
• Gummy worms - Wisconsin
• Kosher candy - New York
• Sugar free candy - Kentucky
• Gluten free candy - Oregon
• Candy bars - Utah
• Organic candy - Colorado

When trick or treating, there’s always that one house that insists on making Halloween healthy—but luckily for us, those are few and far between. Over the last 30 days, there is almost two and a half times more search volume for [candy] than for [apples]. The classic game of bobbing for apples, however, it still going strong, spiking dependably every October.

Whether you’re dressing up as an elegant avian ballerina or a brightly-colored roly-poly bird in a slingshot, we hope you have a spootakular Halloween!

Posted by Rachel Durfee, Google Blog Team

Do you remember the Halloween party scene from the movie Mean Girls? You know, the one where Lindsay Lohan's character dresses up for her very first Halloween party and ends up wearing a gruesomely scary ensemble -- only to arrive and discover all the other girls came dressed up in cute and flattering costumes? Talk about disaster.

Google Insights for Search can help you avoid pitfalls like that by uncovering the latest Halloween costume trends. Inputting a few traditional Halloween costumes into the tool unveils a few revelations. Naturally, a huge seasonal spike in costume queries surfaces around the month of October. However, if you dig a bit deeper, you notice the impact of popular movie releases on Halloween costume searches.



For instance, in 2006 the Pirates of the Carribbean sequel hit theaters, sending ‘pirate costume’ searches through the roof; actually, those searches took the top spot across all six years among the five costumes we looked at for this exercise.

Another example of a blockbuster hit boosting the popularity for specific Halloween costume searches involves the Twilight phenomenon. The movie gained popularity leading up to its release in 2008. Subsequently, ‘vampire costume’ queries rose 64% from the previous year.

Searches for Lady Gaga rank the lowest compared to the rest of the costumes we looked at, alluding to the fact that general pop culture may retain a lower impact on user queries than what is playing on the big screen. (However, something tells me a meat dress or two, reminiscent of her recent MTV Video Music Awards ensemble, may pop up this season.)

Based on the movies released this year, what are your predictions for 2010?

Posted by Megan Runser, Google Tech Team

Halloween is quickly approaching! Average consumer spending for Halloween has consistently increased since 2003 and last year reached over $65 per person [1]. In order to take advantage of this seasonal traffic, we wanted to provide 3 'tricks and treats' of our own to help you achieve your online marketing goals.

1. Keep an Eye on Search Volume
As you can see with Google Insights for Search, Halloween searches are on the rise and will continue through October 31st. This graph shows queries for 'Halloween' over the last 4 years.


Start creating Halloween keyword lists and ad creatives that speak to Halloween consumers - remembering that this holiday can involve product category searches including costumes, recipes, make-up, decorations, party supplies and toys. As the average consumer begins their searches mid-October, add general terms like 'costume ideas' and 'funniest costumes' to capture these consumers as they're making early buying decisions.

2. Watch out for Rising Searches
You can also leverage Google Insights for Search to keep an eye on rising search terms. In the last 30 days, we've seen 'halloween,' 'costumes,' and 'halloween costumes' rise to become three of the top ten searches in the shopping category. We've included the top related rising searches to help get you started.


This year we're seeing that halloween costume ideas include typical apparel items as well as those that fuel a creative, 're-wearable' costume - especially during this Do-It-Yourself economy. Remember to run Search Query Reports throughout the month as traffic increases. Search Query Reports will allow you to see the most 'popular' Halloween costumes and keywords, allowing you to add keywords you may have missed and filter out keywords unrelated to the Halloween products you offer.

3. Highlight Promotions and Shipping Cut-Offs
Lastly, as the Holiday approaches, remember that shipping dates are always crucial. People will need to get their costumes or supplies well before the 31st weekend. Emphasize these dates in ad text and highlight any promotions and discounts to capture these last minute sales.

Happy Halloween!

[1] National Retail Federation, NRF 2008 Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey.

Posted by Caitlin Veverka, the Google Retail Team

We are now just days shy of Halloween, but despite consumer uncertainty in a tightening economy, retailers at large should be able to calm their fears as we step into the ‘scariest’ holiday of the year.

According to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, more consumers plan on celebrating Halloween this year, spending more on average this holiday.

64.5% of adults (18+) will celebrate Halloween this year, up from 58.7% last year. Consumers will spend on average $66.54 on this holiday, totaling $5.77 billion and an increase of 13.8% over 2007. As Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy at BIGresearch, said, “After months of bleak economic news, consumers are looking for a reason to let loose. And with Halloween falling on a Friday this year, consumers may plan to celebrate all weekend long.”

Looking to escape from the volatility of recent days, adults are not only dressing themselves up but also having their children and pets join in for some Halloween fun. 36.4% of their Halloween spend will be on costumes, 30.7% on candy, 27.4% on decorations, and 5.5% on greeting cards. So even for retailers whose niche is not in costumes, there just might be a treat in it for everyone.

But Halloween’s just the beginning. We took a look at the trend line for shopping click volume on Google.com from 2007 and mapped it against this year’s upcoming holidays; what we noticed was a significant surge in click volume immediately after Halloween, a trend we expect to see again this year:

This finding is echoed by the OTX/Google 2008 Shopping Intentions Survey highlighted in a previous blog entry, which shows a large percentage of consumers planning to start their holiday shopping and research sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving this year. So gear up - the Halloween kick-off is just around the corner!

Posted by Julia Tang and Eric Lopez, Google Retail Team