While the jury’s still out on whether or not candy corn actually tastes good, this sweet treat was the top choice for consumers on Amazon during the lead-up to Halloween in 2023. This, according to new data from ecommerce accelerator, Pattern. 

Why it matters: With Halloween fast approaching, online retailers mus be prepared to satisfy their customers’ sweet tooths. The analysis of last year’s share of online demand during the weeks preceding the spooky season is a likely indication of what we can expect to see from shopping behaviors this year. 

What we’re seeing: Our data science team analyzed consumer demand during every day of 2023 to determine which Halloween candy had the highest share of demand during the lead-up to the holiday. In general, fruity candies seemed to be the preferred choice compared to chocolate options: 

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• Candy Corn held 26% of the total share of demand for Halloween candy searches in October 2023
• Skittles 13% 
• Jolly Ranchers 11% 
• Gummy Bears 10%
• Tootsie Rolls 9% 
• Reese’s 6%
• Starburst 5% 
• Smarties 5% 
• Twix 5% 

‍What about pricing? Shoppers looking to stock up on their favorite Halloween candy will be happy to learn that the cost of some of the most popular sweets has decreased year over year. With the exception of Gummy Bears, there were virtually no notable price increases detected among the top ten candies that consumers shop for:

• Candy Corn decreased in price by 11% from Q3 2023 – Q3 2024
• Starburst -7% 
• Jolly Ranchers -4%
• Skittles -1% 
• Reese’s -1%
• Tootsie Rolls +0%
• Sour Patch Kids +3% 
• Twix +4% 
• Gummy Bears +30%

‍The takeaway: As Candy Corn tops the charts in terms of popularity, consumers can look forward to lower prices on this controversial Halloween candy. With more consumers showing a demonstrable preference for fruity-flavored snacks, online retailers would do well to stock up on these sweet treats ahead of the holiday sugar rush.

Pattern is the world’s top ecommerce accelerator and the largest global seller on Amazon. The company’s technology platform tracks over 30 trillion historical ecommerce data points, including search volume for millions of products on Amazon every day. If you’d like to leverage data like this to sweeten your ecommerce strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team to learn more.