Candy Corn Dominates Halloween 2023

Candy Corn Has Highest Share of Consumer Demand on Amazon

Whether or not candy corn actually tastes good seems to be irrelevant as new data from ecommerce accelerator, Pattern, shows this Halloween candy continues to dominate the marketplace ahead of the spooky season. No other sweet captured more share of online consumer demand during the month of October 2022 than candy corn — a strong indicator of what we’re likely to see repeat this year.  ‍

Why it matters: As consumers stock up on sweets to prepare for Halloween, retailers need to understand exactly what their customers want. With candy corn holding the largest share of consumer demand by far, it’s a good idea for store owners to ensure they have enough of this sweet treat in stock to avoid giving customers a frightful shopping experience.  

‍What we’re seeing: We evaluated consumer demand for Halloween candy on Amazon for every day of October 2022 to understand what shoppers are searching for the most. By and large, fruity candies tend to be favored over their chocolate counterparts. According to our findings, these were the top 10 Halloween candies for Amazon customers last year:

• Candy Corn held 16.83% share of demand
• Gummy Bears 9.02%
• Sour Patch Kids 8.91%
• Skittles 8.21%
• Jolly Ranchers 8.13%
• Tootsie Rolls 5.89%
• Kit Kat 4.82%
• Reeses 4.42%
• Starburst 4.37%
• Nerds 3.88%

Wallet sting: Along with consumer demand, our team also evaluated pricing data for the most popular Halloween candies for every day of 2022 and 2023 so far to better understand what consumers can expect at checkout. If you’re wondering which candy will cost the most, the following sweets have seen the largest price increases year over year:

• Airheads increased in price by 26.34% from Q3 2022 – Q3 2023
• Baby Ruth +13.51%
• Candy Corn +13.24%
• PayDay +12%
• Tootsie Rolls +11.36%
• Jolly Ranchers +10.74%
• Junior Mints +10.41%
• Starburst +9.8%
• Dots +8.95%
• Smarties +7.56%

Yes, but: There are some Halloween candies that have seen inflation reversal year over year. If you’re looking to save on sweets during the spooky season, it may be a good idea to consider adding the following candy to your cart:

• Hot Tamales decreased in price by 44.89% from Q3 2022 – Q3 2023
• Mounds -13.23%
• Heath -10.24%
• Rolos -9.83%
• Milk Duds -7.58%
• Whoppers -6.9%
• Reeses -5.13%
• Milky Way -4.28%
• Nerds -2.96%
• Kit Kat -1.63%

The takeaway: While candy corn continues to reign supreme over Halloween in terms of consumer demand, this sweet treat may be a more expensive option for shoppers this year. However, there are still some popular Halloween candies — including Reeses, Kit Kats, and Nerds — that have seen inflation reversal year over year, allowing shoppers to share in fan favorites without overextending their budget.  Pattern’s data science team analyzed pricing and demand data during every day of 2022 to understand trends in online demand and inflation for Halloween candy year over year.

If you’re interested in using insights like these to sweeten the bottom line for your ecommerce strategy, connect with Pattern to request more information today.