Halloween Marketing 101: Campaigns & Ideas to Boost Sales

Halloween is just around the corner. It might not be Black Friday, but it’s one of the biggest seasonal opportunities for online retailers in the U.S. Halloween marketing should be your top priority this week.

In 2025, it is estimated that 73% of Americans will celebrate Halloween. The spending is projected to reach around $13 billion. 

If you run a Shopify store, these stats should be your cue. Halloween brings a surge of online traffic and themed buying. Whether you sell home décor, apparel, tech gadgets, or even digital downloads, there’s a way to make your products part of the Halloween buzz.

In this post, I’ll walk through the most successful Halloween marketing campaigns from well-known brands. As a Shopify expert, I’ll also provide actionable Halloween marketing ideas tailored for Shopify store owners like you. 

What Makes a Halloween Campaign Work (And What Doesn’t)

The best Halloween campaigns balance creativity with strategy. They don’t just sell products; they sell an experience.

Here’s how you should go over your Halloween campaigns for 2025.

Personalization is Key

Shoppers want to feel like your campaign speaks directly to them. Whether it’s a “Pick Your Treat” quiz or product recommendations based on past purchases, adding a personal touch helps your campaign stand out. 

Omnichannel Presence Matters

A strong Halloween marketing campaign doesn’t stop at one platform. It stretches across your email list, social channels, website banners, and even your Shopify cart drawer. 

With Shopify apps like iCart, you can customize your cart drawer to match the Halloween theme easily. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop feature that lets you personalize your cart drawer and full cart. 

Consistent design, tone, and messaging build recognition and keep your brand top of mind, no matter where shoppers find you.

Create Urgency, But Make it Exciting

Countdowns, limited-edition products, and flash sales all tap into the FOMO effect. Think phrases like “Only 24 hours left to claim your spooky bundle” or “Vanishing at midnight!”. These subtle triggers can boost conversions without feeling pushy.

Inspiring Halloween Campaigns to Learn From

Burger King – The Call

For its Halloween marketing campaign, Burger King took inspiration from campy horror movies, particularly ‘The Ring’

Burger King needed to introduce their Ghost Pepper-based food items. What followed was a brilliant AI-powered phone call that matches the theme of the movie The Ring. Of course, Burger King’s movie was called ‘The Call’

They made a custom webpage where fans signed up to receive a personalized phone call. This phone call used AI to capture the name from the form and record a spooky voice for the caller. 

Why this works

Burger King used Halloween to introduce their new food items. The name ‘Ghost Pepper’ just adds a cherry on top. If you want to introduce any new products, festive days like Black Friday or Halloween work well for Shopify merchants. 

IKEA – Monsters Not Included

We all had fears in our childhood of monsters lurking under the bed. IKEA used this idea for their Halloween campaign. Their brilliant ad featured their furniture and promised their customers that ‘monsters not included’ in their products. 

Why this works

This works on so many levels because it combines two things. Our childhood fears and their products themselves. It resonated with their customers who want to purchase furniture and get reminded of Halloween.  

Liquid Death – Dismembered Hands

An excellent Halloween campaign that takes customized products to a whole new level. They hired Martha Stewart to showcase their Halloween product: A severed hand clutching a Liquid Death Mountain Water. 

The ad featured Martha calmly discussing in her signature style. The calm nature of the voiceover and the bloody product create perfect Halloween advertising campaigns. 

Why this works

Any customized product that goes with a festive theme is gold. Here, Liquid Death excels by creating a Halloween-based product that’s bloody and scary. Plus, they got Martha Stewart’s calm nature to create a hilarious spoof of their product, which really works.  

UNICEF – Add Some Meaning 

Every year, UNICEF sends orange boxes to kids during the Halloween season. This helps kids collect donations when they go trick-or-treating. 

In 2024, UNICEF switched it up by providing these orange boxes virtually through a QR code. Users can participate through social media, scan the code and donate. UNICEF also uses social media brilliantly with ghostly filters on Instagram stories and influencer collaborations. 

Why this works

Social media marketing has always been the cornerstone for modern businesses. UNICEF uses social media brilliantly for fundraising while evoking the nostalgia of their orange boxes. You can leverage social media to start your Halloween campaign a week early to promote products or any charitable activities.

Halloween Slogans for Marketing

When it comes to Halloween marketing, your slogan is the one-liner that does the heavy lifting. It delivers the vibe, grabs attention, and nudges people closer to the checkout. Here are some fresh slogan ideas you can plug into your email subject lines, banner ads, social posts, and even cart-drawer upsells.

• “No tricks, just treats—grab your bundle now.”
• “Wicked good deals, vanishing at midnight.”
• “Trick or Treat Yourself: limited-edition drop inside.”
• “Our deals are so good—it’s scary.”
• “Don’t ghost this offer—three hours only.”
• “Spooky savings ahead: unlock your haunted discount.”
• “Fright-fully affordable. Haunt the checkout today.”
• “Dress up your cart—costume-ready picks inside.”
• “Only the brave checkout at full price.”
• “October creeps in… and so do flash sales.”

Each of these keeps things short, impactful, and on-brand for the Halloween moment. Use them as headings, in slide carts, or as part of your website pop-up copy. Just make sure they reflect your store’s voice and tie into your campaign visuals.

Halloween Marketing Campaigns 101: Final Thoughts

Yes, Halloween is just about costumes and candy, but it’s also your chance to turn spooky season buzz into real sales.

Don’t overthink it. Pick the best ideas from this guide and roll them out on your Shopify store right now.

Keep it simple, test what clicks, and watch how your audience responds. Track what drives the most engagement and AOV so you can double down next year.

Remember, the best campaigns start small and get smarter every season. Use what you learn this year to make your Halloween 2025 campaign even stronger.

Halloween Marketing FAQs

1. What sells the most for Halloween?

Candy is the most commonly purchased Halloween item in the U.S., with 2025 candy spend expected around $3.9B and a majority of households buying it. Non-chocolate treats have also gained share this season as cocoa prices pushed chocolate costs higher.

2. Which category of Halloween retail attracts the most spending?

Costumes take the top spot for total dollars, with U.S. consumers projected to spend about $4.3B in 2025—edging out decorations ($4.2B) and candy ($3.9B).

3. What are some Halloween giveaway ideas for businesses?

Run a user-generated contest, think costume or pumpkin- photo contests, TikTok dance challenges, or “Share Your Scare” stories—with gift cards or themed bundles as prizes to spark engagement and email capture. You can also host a multi-platform raffle or trivia challenge and require follows, tags, or email sign-ups to enter.

4. What are the best Halloween slogans for marketing?

Short, punchy lines convert: “No tricks, just treats,” “Trick or treat yo’ self,” “Wicked good savings,” and “Our deals are so good, it’s scary.” Keep them benefit-led and channel-ready for email subject lines, ad headlines, and social captions.

5. What are some unique Halloween restaurant ideas?

Create limited-time menus and cocktails (dry-ice “fog,” blood-red syrups, themed flights) and pair them with costume nights, prix-fixe experiences, or ticketed parties; promote preorders and takeout kits for at-home celebrations. Layer in reservations-driven promos, décor makeovers, and family-friendly daytime activations to widen appeal.