The Halloween Supply Chain

From sweet-sweet candies to pumpkins, decorations and costumes, Halloween takes over the world for a few weeks. And if you think the Halloween preparation starts only in October, think again! As the seasonal spike for Halloween candy arrives, retailers, manufacturers and couriers have to prepare for the 10 thousand tons of candy sold just in the US. Months in advance, manufacturers begin to need extra raw materials, which puts pressure not only on the producers of these raw materials but also on the carriers of such materials to the candy producers. A candy shortage due to any kind of delay on the Halloween supply chain could mean the premature end of the season for a retailer.

Pumpkins on the Go

A lot of local farmers offer “pick-your-own-pumpkin”, however, retailers and supermarkets are still one of the main places where customers get their soon to be jack-o-lantern. Therefore, we can imagine how many trucks are moved to transport the 500 thousand tons of pumpkins produced just in United States, considering not only that 45% of Americans are carving them for Halloween but also that many brands and stores dedicate special menus and offers to pumpkin flavors such us: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pies, pumpkin lattes or even pumpkin beer!

Decorations and Costumes

Billions of dollars are spent every year just on Halloween costumes and decorations, from little plastic spiders to pet costumes or a whole plastic graveyard decorating the garden. Since most of the costumes, decorations an electronics connected to Halloween are actually produced in China, the increase of imports to puts real pressure every year on the logistics and warehousing industry as they strive to help stores get ready for the big holiday.