Insight: According to Klarna, Brits got into the spirit(s) as 28% of UK planned to dress up this Halloween

LONDON, UK — With the recent conclusion of October, data* from Klarna, the leading global retail bank, payments, and shopping service, reveals Brits were spook-tacularly excited for Halloween with over a quarter (28%) who planned to dress up for the occasion.

Celebrations were stifled by COVID-19 in 2020; however, Klarna’s Shopping Index** shows that Brits came back with a bang this year with sales of costumes on the up. Humour is the theme this year, trumping a traditional scary look, with 42% going for a ‘funny’ outfit to lift everyone’s spirits, compared to 39% of Brits opting for the more traditional ‘scary’ look.

Vicars and clowns are topping the list of the most trending fang-tastic fancy dress, with a whopping 463% rise in vicar outfits and 189% more clown costumes bought in recent weeks compared to the first weeks of September´’. There will also be some Grim Reapers (+79%) and vampires (+61%) loitering about, but this year, you’re less likely to find a werewolf at full moon with a 17% drop in sales of wolf costumes.

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Cooped up inside all year, it’s no surprise that the majority of Brits have turned to film (47%) and TV (44%) for inspiration according to Klarna’s Halloween Report. Expect Spiderman and Wonder Woman to be patrolling the streets this spooky Sunday, but watch out for the Joker, with a 113% increase of green wigs being purchased, which could give you a fright.

Emily Thomas, UK Consumer PR Lead at Klarna said: “Trick-or-treating is coming back! After the pandemic dampened spooky festivities last year, we’re excited to see Brits getting back into fancy-dress outfits this year. From ‘Spiderman’, to ‘Black Widow’ to the ‘Joker’, Brits are spoilt for choice with costume ideas this Halloween season.”

Top 5 most sold costumes in the UK overall in September and October:

1. Maid
2. Angel
3. Ghost
4. Skeleton
5. Dinosaur

Top 5 trending traditional costumes:

1. Vicar (+463%)
2. Clown (+189%)
3. Skeleton (+117%)
4. Frankenstein (+107%)
5. Mummy (+85%)