By Ed Avis
Halloween is going to happen! That was the key lesson from today’s NCA webinar on Halloween 2020. Despite the COVID fears and general anxieties in the world at the moment, people want to get out and celebrate.
The webinar featured two industry insiders: Scott Morris of Morris Costumes and Franco Pacini of Zagone Studios. Morris offered his thoughts on Halloween from several perspectives, since his company owns retail stores, manufactures costumes, and distributes Halloween products to other retailers. Pacini offered details on Zagone’s plan for creating a safe Halloween with retail costume shops as the focus.
NCA members can watch the recorded webinar by logging into the Member Center; then clicking the Member Center tab in the green bar; then clicking the Social Media Webinars item in the drop-down menu. Today’s webinar is the top webinar in the list.
Here are seven interesting take-aways from the event:
1) The NCA is developing a campaign to help members work with their local communities to create safe, fun Halloween festivities. The material that will be distributed to members will include a strong “shop local” emphasis, so that residents understand the value of supporting their local costume shop and other local merchants during the Halloween season.
2) Morris noted that orders from large retailers, such as Walmart, have not dropped, so those retailers evidently expect a normal Halloween. On the other hand, some of his customers, such as the large temporary Halloween vendors, are being cautious in their orders.
3) Morris, whose company operates five temporary “pop-up” Halloween stores, said that rents have dropped almost 50 percent for the large retail spaces they need for those locations. So if you have considered a pop-up location in the past, maybe this is the year for that.
4) It might be a good year to move older licensed inventory, because there are few big movies coming out this summer that would normally create demand for new licensed items.
5) Customers will still want to try on masks in your store, so you should be ready to address that with temporary face liners that people can wear under the mask.
6) One element of the Zagone Studios’ plan for a safe, community-based Halloween is a Costume Fashion Parade, where the whole family (and pets) can show off their costumes. Photos can be posted on Facebook and residents can vote on the best costumes, and the whole event can be filmed and posted on a community web site.
7) Halloween décor will sell big this year, since even people who don’t want to trick-or-treat will enjoy the opportunity to decorate. With that in mind, another element of the Zagone plan is a Home Halloween Decoration contest. So if you don’t sell décor now, maybe you should start!
Today’s webinar is just the first element of the NCA’s effort to help members have a successful Halloween. Stay tuned for more ideas to come! And again, if you’d like to watch the entire webinar, log into the Member Center; then click the Member Center tab in the green bar; then click the Social Media Webinars item in the drop-down menu. Today’s webinar is the top webinar in the list.
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