Retailers hope kids go trick-or-treat in style

It’s this demand for high-end, customized costumes that seems to be the trend this year as more and more and people get into the Halloween spirit.

“It’s the first big splash kids get to make after school starts. I feel like they are ready for a break,” Taylor said.

Also, as kids get older they don’t want cookie-cutter costumes, or to see six of the same kind at a party.

“The industry has come along way since the plastic masks and cheap vinyl costumes that were around when I was little,” says Shari McConahay of ExtremeHalloweenNetwork, a collection of 13 e-commerce Web sites that, besides Halloween, sell costumes for Mardi Gras, Easter, Christmas and other holidays. Deluxe children's costumes on her site can go up to about $90. Most are renaissance and medieval costumes with detailed accessories. The Princess, Fairy, Zarina 3-in-1 Costume which costs $49.95 is a favorite with most girls.

"You can never go wrong with a princess costume," said Shari.

“Kids nowadays want to be able to play in their costume for a very long time rather than just wear it on Halloween. We sell children's costumes for dress-up all year long, and we see many children's costumes bought as Christmas presents,” she added.

Especially when Halloween falls on a Tuesday, like this year. There are likely to be multiple events over the weekend and the days leading up to Halloween.

Kevin Greene, CEO of Costume Express, another online retailer, thinks the market is large enough to accommodate all kinds of styles and prices. On his site, kids costume prices range from $9.98 to $100.

Its costumes, some like the pink cowgirl ($49) were recently showcased on the “Today” show, and are based on Disney characters.

“We offer a great breadth of selection and price point and all of our costumes are safe and comfortable for kids,” said Greene.

He thinks most families use costumes to stimulate children’s imagination and encourage creativity.

“Of course, there is always the one-upmanship when families try to outdo each other in style and design when trying to dress up their kids,” he added.

That’s when costume manufacturers luck out as they try to attract the millions of children trick-or-treating over the holiday.

He also points out the recent cross-pollination between birthday and Halloween parties and how a growing number of young adults prefer to have costume-themed birthday parties.

Many costume businesses are no longer seasonal, and even though there is a distinct sales spike between September and October, they sustain growth by incorporating birthday and theme party ideas year round. 

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