Consumer spending on Halloween-related items is expected to reach an all-time high of $10.14 billion, up from $8.05 billion in 2021, according to the annual National Retail Federation’s Halloween survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Plans to celebrate Halloween are up this year compared with last year — and are close to pre-pandemic levels.

“Americans plan to spend more than ever to make this Halloween a memorable one,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a release. “Retailers have implemented a number of measures, such as bringing in Halloween products earlier than normal, to ensure their shelves are stocked with seasonal candy, décor, and other items ahead of this important holiday.”

2021 | Halloween-related projections

65% | Percentage of Americans who intend to celebrate Halloween or participate in Halloween activities this year (up from 58 percent in 2020 and comparable with 68 percent in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

82% | Percentage of households with children who will celebrate Halloween. (Compared to 55% of households without children).

Annual traditions

66% | Hand out candy
52% | Decorate their home or yard
46% | Dress in costumes’
25% | Hosting or attending a party


$102.74 | On average consumers plan to spend $102.74 on costumes, candy, decorations, and greeting cards $10 more than they planned to spend last year Households with children are estimated to spend more than twice the amount than households without children ($149.69 compared with $73.57) on Halloween items.

The number of Americans planning to decorate for Halloween is on par with last year’s spike in interest, with spending on decorations continuing to climb to $3.17 billion, up from last year’s $2.59 billion.

Total spending on costumes is the highest it has been since 2017 — at $3.32 billion.

Halloween Trends | 2021

This year consumers are shopping for Halloween items earlier than ever, with 45 percent planning to shop in September or earlier and another 39 percent during the first two weeks of October.

“This year, in particular, we see an emphasis on Halloween spending from families,” Prosper Insights Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Not only are those with children intending to spend more on Halloween-related items like costumes, they are also getting a kick start on their shopping, with more than half planning to start their shopping in September or earlier.”

Interest in pet costumes remains high with one in five intending to dress their pet up for Halloween this year. Younger adults are more likely to dress their pets in costume, as 28 percent of those aged 18–24 and 30 percent of those aged 25–34 plan to do so.

Costumes: Children

More than 1.8 million children plan to dress as Spiderman, more than 1.6 million as their favorite princess, more than 1.2 million as Batman and more than 1.2 million will dress as one of their other favorite superheroes.

Costumes: Adults

Of those planning to dress up for Halloween, nearly 69 percent of adults already know what their costume will be this year. More than 4.6 million adults plan to dress like a witch, more than 1.6 million as a vampire, more than 1.4 million as a ghost, more than 1.1 million as a cat and another 1.1 million as a pirate.

Costumes: Pets

The most popular costumes for pet lovers include a pumpkin (10 percent), hot dog (5 percent), superhero or cat (each tied at 4 percent), and bumblebee (3 percent).

The survey asked 8,061 consumers about Halloween shopping plans. It was conducted September 1-8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

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According to an NFIB Survey released 9.27.2021: “Fifty percent of small businesses are significantly impacted by supply chain disruptions and another 27% by significant staffing shortages.“

“Supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages have become substantial issues for small businesses across the country. Small employers are making business operation and hiring adjustments in order to compensate for both issues.”

Holly Wade, executive director of NFIB’s Research Center 

Key findings from the survey conducted in early September 2021

• 50% of owners reported that supply chain disruptions have significantly impacted their business, and more than half (55%) of those affected report that the supply chain disruptions are worsening.
• 86% of owners anticipate supply chain disruptions will continue well into 2022.
• 45% of owners are experiencing a moderate-to-severe staffing shortage. Of these owners, over half (52%) are experiencing a moderate-to-significant sales loss as a result of unfilled positions.
• 49% of owners reported that they received fewer job applications now than they did a month ago, compared to 15% who received more than they did a month ago.
• 77% of small employers reported that they increased wages. Smaller numbers offered better benefits such as paid time off (17%), hiring bonuses (16%), referral bonuses (18%), or enhanced health insurance benefits (21%). 
• Almost all (88%) of owners are working longer hours to compensate for the labor shortage, with 64% offering overtime and 41% expanding hours offered to part-timers. 
• A third (33%) of small businesses report that their sales numbers are 75% or less of that before the pandemic. Forty-one percent have returned or nearly returned to normal sales numbers, and a quarter (26%) are exceeding pre-COVID sales. 
• About a fifth of all owners (21%) report that economic conditions have returned to normal in their area. Most owners expect that conditions will not improve until 2022 or beyond. 
• Of the 76% of owners who received PPP loans in 2020, almost all (94%) have applied for loan forgiveness and 41% applied for a second-draw PPP loan in 2021. 
• 8% of owners claimed the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) on wages in 2021 and 20% applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). 
• 9% of small business owners say that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases had a large impact on their business, with another 36% saying that it had a moderate impact. 

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While 71 percent of small businesses are hiring, 81 percent of those businesses report difficulty recruiting qualified candidates as operating costs continue to rise. (June 9, 2021, 9:00 AM) See full survey results here.

A new national survey of small business owners from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices shows that small businesses across America are open for business but hitting roadblocks at every turn.

While small business owners express optimism about the future, they face difficulties hiring employees and maintaining payroll as operating costs increase. Long-term access to capital and inflation are also pressing concerns for Main Street businesses.

71% | Percentage of small businesses surveyed that are currently hiring 

81% | Finding it difficult to recruit qualified candidates, citing a limited labor supply, generous unemployment benefits, and high labor costs.

83% | Percent of small business owners who report an increase in operating costs in the past few months 

82% | Are concerned about the impact of inflation on their businesses

48% | Have had to increase their prices

44% | Still struggling financially due to the impact of COVID-19

67% | Believe the United States is moving in the right direction

61% | Support the American Jobs Plan

60% | Support the American Families Plan

50% | Believe it will help their business

82% | Owners who received a second PPP loan who expect to exhaust their PPP loan funding by the end of July

24% | Confident they will be able to maintain payroll if no further government relief is provided

93% | Support Congress re-evaluating the SBA loan terms so that hard-hit small businesses can access capital

88% |Support increasing opportunities for small businesses through the federal procurement process

93% | Call on state and local governments to prioritize contracts for small businesses as part of the proposed package

“Small businesses are the engine of the economy and need continued support from our policymakers to make a full recovery. Today’s survey shows that Washington must act now to address hurdles on the road to recovery, including rising operating costs, access to capital, and labor shortages.”

 Jill Bommarito
Founder & CEO of Ethel’s Baking Company
Member of the 10,000 Small Businesses Voices 
National Leadership Council

The survey of 857 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses participants was conducted by Babson College and David Binder Research from June 1-2. The survey included small business owners from 46 U.S. states and two U.S. territories, 53% of whom were women.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices is an initiative for program participants to organize and advocate for policies that matter to them. It builds on Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, which over the past decade has provided access to education, capital, and support services to more than 10,000 small business owners across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C.

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U.S. consumers are expected to spend more than $20.1 billion on gifts and other items for Father’s Day (Sunday, June 20, 2021). The amount is a record high according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight & Analytics.

“Americans are looking forward to celebrating their fathers, husbands, and sons this Father’s Day. With our nation now making significant strides toward recovery and reopening, retailers are prepared to help customers safely find items they want and need to make this year’s holiday celebration extra meaningful.”

NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay

75% | The percentage of those surveyed who plan to celebrate Father’s Day.

50% | Plan to buy gifts for their dad
26% | Plan to buy a gift for a husband
11% | Plan to buy a gift for a son

Consumers plan to spend a little more on celebrating their dads this year, over last’s.

$174 | Survey respondents indicate they plan to spend an average of $174 on Father’s Day items ($26 more than last year and a record high for the survey).

The ages 35-44 will be this year’s biggest holiday spenders. This age group plans to spend an average of $259 on Father’s Day gifts, which is $49 more than last year.

What those active shoppers are planning to give their dads this year.

59% | Greeting cards
49% | Clothing
46% | A special outing
45% | Gift cards
28% | Personal care items

Where gifts are being purchased this year

40% | Online
33% | Department stores
22% | Specialty stores

The top items being purchased for Fathers Day

59% | Greeting cards
49% | Clothing
28% | Personal care items

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The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose to 99.8 in April, an increase of 1.6 points from March. The Optimism Index has increased 4.8 points over the past three months since January but a record 44% of owners reported job openings that could not be filled.

“Small business owners are seeing a growth in sales but are stunted by not having enough workers. Finding qualified employees remains the biggest challenge for small businesses and is slowing economic growth. Owners are raising compensation, offering bonuses and benefits to attract the right employees.”

NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.

Other key findings:

• Eight of the 10 Index components improved and two declined.
• The NFIB Uncertainty Index decreased one point to 80.
• Earnings trends over the past three months improved eight points to a net negative 7%.
• Owners have plans to invest in their businesses as the percentage of those planning to make capital expenditures in the next three to six months increased seven points to 27%.
• The percent of owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months fell seven points to a net negative 15%, surprisingly glum.

47% | Percent reported capital outlays in the last six months, down two points from March but 10 points above last year’s low. Of those making expenditures, 42% reported spending on new equipment, 25% acquired new vehicles, and 15% improved or expanded facilities.

6% | Prtcentage of those surveyed who acquired new buildings or land for expansion and 12% spent money for new fixtures and furniture. Twenty-seven percent plan capital outlays in the next few months. Hopefully supportive of improved productivity.

3% | Percentage of all owners (seasonally adjusted) reported higher nominal sales in the past three months, up nine points from March. The net percent of owners expecting higher real sales volumes improved one point to a net 1%.

7% | Percentage of owners who view current inventory stocks as “too low” in April, up to four points. A net 5% of owners plan inventory investment in the coming months, up to one point from March.

Full report at NFIB.com | https://assets.nfib.com/nfibcom/SBET-Apr-2021.pdf (PDF)

While the overall number of shoppers from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday dropped slightly from 189.6 million in an unusually robust 2019, this figure is still significantly higher than the 165.8 million shoppers in 2018.

• Between Black Friday through Small Business Saturday saw tremendous growth in online activity.
• For the first time, the number of online Black Friday shoppers passed the 100 million mark, up 8 percent over last year.
• The number of online Saturday shoppers, typically associated with small business shoppers grew even more, up 17 percent compared with last year.
• Online-only shoppers increased by 44 percent for the entire weekend, for a total of 95.7 million.

38% | Percenage of shoppers who aid they checked off holiday purchases in the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

52% | Percentage of holiday shoppers who said they took advantage of early holiday sales and promotions this year.

53% | Shoppers who say that promotions over the weekend were the same as they had been earlier in the season.

Thanksgiving in-store shopping was down given both the state of the pandemic as well as the number of retailers who opted to close on Thanksgiving Day, according to the NRF.

With consumer traffic moving to online channels, the number of in-store shoppers on Thanksgiving Day dropped by 55 percent from last year.

Black Friday dropped by 37%

An earlier NRF survey found that 70 percent of holiday shoppers say they feel safe shopping in stores this holiday season given the precautions retailers have taken for COVID-19.

Over the five-day period, shoppers spent an average of $311.75 on holiday-related purchases such as gifts or decorations, down from last year’s total of $361.90 but comparable to 2018’s $313.29.

Of that amount, nearly three-quarters ($224.48) was spent directly on gifts.

51% | Shoppers said they were more interested in holiday decorations and seasonal items.

77% | Percentage of shoppers who indicated they were more interested in supporting small businesses this year.

“The growth in online activity this year was significant, particularly for Black Friday and Saturday shoppers,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said.“With the start to the holiday shopping season continuing to move up even earlier, consumers will further utilize these channels.”

Top gift purchases over the weekend included

52% | Clothing
32% | Toys
32% | Books, music, movies, video games
29% | Gift cards, certificates
27% | Electronics

Shopping destinations

39% | Grocery stores
33% | Clothing stores
31% | Electronics stores

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 10, 2020) | The NFIB Optimism Index remained at 104.0 in October, unchanged from September and a historically high reading. Four of the ten components of the index improved, five declined, and one was unchanged.

Although all of the data was collected prior to Election Day, a six-point increase in the NFIB Uncertainty Index to 98 was likely driven by the election and uncertain conditions in future months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and possible government-mandated shutdowns, said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.

The uncertainty reading was the highest reading since November 2016.

“Leading up to the presidential election, small businesses continued to focus on stabilizing their businesses but were uncertain about the future economic conditions due to COVID-19 government regulations on all levels,” said Dunkelberg. “We see solid momentum going into the 4^th quarter, and another good quarter could get the GDP back to its 2019 closing levels.”

Other key findings:

• Earnings trends over the past three months improved nine points to a net negative 3% reporting higher earnings.
• Earnings trends have improved to pre-crisis levels, up 32 points since June.
• Inventory investment plans for the next three to six months increased 1 point to a net 12%, a record high.
• Real sales expectations in the next three months increased 3 points to a net 11% expecting gains.
• Owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months declined 5 points to a net 27%.

23% (seasonally adjusted) | Reported raising compensation and a net 18% plan to do so in the coming months, up 2 points.

8% | Survey respondents who cited labor costs as their top business problem (down 1 point)

22% | Said labor quality was their top business problem, exceeding taxes, regulations, and weak sales.

35% | Percentage of construction owners who report finding qualified workers as their top issue, slowing new home production.

53% | The percentage of owners who reported capital outlays in the last six months, unchanged from September. (Historically, this is a poor performance because it doesn’t boost current GDP and it impairs the future growth in worker productivity and pay, according to Dunkelberg.)

36% | Of those making expenditures, of owners reported spending on new equipment (down 2 points), 20% acquired vehicles (down 3 points)

16% | Improved or expanded facilities (unchanged)

5% | Acquired new buildings and land for expansion (up 1 point),

12% | Spent money for new fixtures and furniture (up 4 points).

27% | Plan capital outlays in the next few months, down 1 point from September.

Small businesses have continued to see improvements in foot traffic and sales

3% | Reported that all of their borrowing needs were not satisfied (up 1 point),

29% | Reported all credit needs were met (down 4 points),

56% | Said they were not interested in a loan (up 1 point).

3% | Reported their last loan was harder to get than in previous attempts (up 1 point).

1% | One percent of respondents reported that financing was their top business problem, unchanged from last month.

For full report, see NFIB.com.

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Yesterday, QuickBooks released the findings of a survey of 1,600 current and prospective small business owners on what they expect their futures to be.

One finding is especially promising — for all generations of small businesses: The future of small businesses includes hope.

Download the Report (PDF)

The Future, as Predicted by Today’s Small Business Owners

23% | Working at home
The percentage of small businesses that will have a 100% remote workforce by next year

28% | Online sales boom
The percentage of small businesses that are selling more products and services online this year

94% | Coronavirus
Percentage of small businesses who say coronavirus influenced that change

86% | Rapid innovation
Percentage of small businesses that have developed new products and services this year have done so as a result of the coronavirus

45% | Surviving tough times
Of those surveyed, the percentage who applied for a government-backed relief program this year

61% | Percentage of applicants who were granted funds

42% | Side gig to small business
Percentage of those who surveyed who operate a “side gig” who plan on converting it into a full-time business

28% | Adversity sparks innovation
The percentage of those who say they want to start business during the next 12 months who say the coronavirus accelerated their plans

87% | Beyond digital
Percentage of those who plan on opening a small business within the next 12 months who say it will be a combination of online and offline

Growing industries
According to those survey, the fastest-growing industries for small businesses over the next 12 months will be accommodation and food services, arts and recreation, and retail

72% | New optimism
Percentage of those who plan on starting a business during the next 12 months who are optimistic about business prospects for the next 12 months (compared to 42% of current small business owners).

10% | Business planning
Less than 10% of potential business owners plan on writing a business business plan. (69% of current owners recommend it.)

The full report, including the survey methods, can be downloaded at the Quickbook website.

NOTE | THIS ARTICLE WAS BASED ON RESEARCH CONDUCTED BETWEEN JUNE 15-17, 2020

Men are more optimistic about an economic rebound than women, according to a new research series by Yahoo Finance and Harris Poll conducted from June 15 to 17. Here are some more highlights from the poll.

Only 4% of workers have returned to their normal work sites

54% | Percentage of survey respondents who say they’re currently working from home because of the coronavirus
40% | Are working from home full-time
13% | Are working from home part-time
32% | Working at their normal workplace, with no change in routine
4% | Have returned to their normal work sites

Higher-paid and higher-educated workers are more likely to work from home

60% | Percentage of college graduates who say they’re working at home full-time because of the virus
26% | Percentage of high school graduates who say they’re working at home full-time because of the virus

A slight majority of at-home workers prefer the work change

51% | Say that it is better than traditional workplace
30% | Say it is worse
19% | Say it’s about the same

Few of those surveyed believe their lost jobs are permanent

3% | Say it’s a permanent job loss
7% | Say it’s a temporary job loss
16% | Say they’re working fewer hours
6%| Say they’re working more hours

Two-thirds of survey respondents believe they will be back to their spending levels in less than a year

66% | Percentage of respondents expect their spending to fully recover within 12 months
17% | Think it will take more than one year
5% | Say it will never return to pre-virus levels

Higher-income Americans see a quicker than return to traditional workplace

74% | Higher-income Americans who see a recovery in their spending in less than a year
59% | Lower-income Americans see a recovery of their spending in less than a year
5% | Say their spending will never return to pre-virus levels.

Find out more from the Yahoo Finance-Harris Poll.
Photo: GettyImages

In May, NFIB’s monthly Small Business Optimism Index rebounded from its historic drop over the past three months. In May, the index increased 3.5 points to 94.4, an improvement from April’s 90.9 reading.

Eight of the ten index components improved in May, two declined.

“As states begin to reopen, small businesses continue to navigate the economic landscape rocked by COVID-19 and new government policies. It’s still uncertain when consumers will feel comfortable returning to small businesses and begin spending again, but owners are taking the necessary precautions to reopen safely.”

Bill Dunkelberg
NFIB Chief Economist

As NFIB reported in its monthly jobs report last week, the small business labor market weakened further in the February-April period. May survey respondents reported a reduction in employment by 0.17 workers per firm in the prior three months.

The NFIB Research Foundation has collected Small Business Economic Trends data with quarterly surveys since the 4th quarter of 1973 and monthly surveys since 1986. Survey respondents are drawn from NFIB’s membership. The report is released on the second Tuesday of each month. This survey was conducted in May 2020. 

Charts: NFIB