Halloween
The night of costumes and pumpkins that’s also a sales campaign
Pumpkins in shop windows, costumes on the shelves and ghost-themed subject lines in the inbox. Every October, the holiday takes over the retail calendar in much of the world. And it’s no longer just an American thing.
What is Halloween?
Halloween is the celebration held on the night of 31 October, the eve of All Saints’ Day. The name comes from All Hallows’ Eve.
Its roots lie in Samhain, a Celtic festival that marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. People believed that on that night the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to the United States in the 19th century, and from there it spread worldwide thanks to film and television.
Today it’s linked to costumes, carved pumpkins, themed parties and trick-or-treating. In Spain and much of Latin America it coexists with local traditions such as All Saints’ Day or Mexico’s Day of the Dead, held on 1 and 2 November.
Plan your Halloween email campaign
Design themed emails, segment your list and schedule your offers by email and SMS. With Mailrelay you can send up to 80,000 emails a month for free.
Create a free accountHalloween 2026 date
The date never changes: it’s always 31 October. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday, so many parties and events will cluster around that weekend. Keep it in mind when you schedule your sends: for many shoppers, Friday 30 October will be the last day to buy in time.
Why Halloween matters for marketing
It’s the first big retail date of the final quarter, just before Black Friday and Christmas. And it keeps growing.
In the United States, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects spending on the holiday to reach a record $13.5 billion in 2026, around $115 per person. 74% of consumers plan to celebrate, and almost half start shopping in September or earlier. The money goes on costumes, decorations, candy and greeting cards.
The same survey reveals another interesting figure: 47% of consumers say they use AI tools for their seasonal shopping. Looking for costume or decoration ideas no longer happens only on Google.
Outside the US the numbers are smaller, but the trend is clear. Fashion retailers, supermarkets, leisure and hospitality businesses, and even software companies use the date to launch themed promotions.
How to plan a Halloween email campaign
The key to a good Halloween campaign is to start early and play with the tone. It’s a fun holiday, and your emails can afford to be more creative than the rest of the year.
In early October, send an ideas guide: costumes, decorations, recipes or plans, depending on your business. It’s useful content that paves the way for selling later.
Mid-month is the time for offers. A “spooky” discount or a themed code works well. But you don’t need to dress everything up: a touch of orange and black, a pumpkin or an animated GIF is enough to make the email stand out.
A week before, add an element of play. A costume contest, a scratch card or an email with gamification boosts engagement and helps you capture new contacts.
On 29 or 30 October, remind people of the shipping cut-off if you sell physical products. And on the 31st itself, launch a 24-hour flash sale.
Because the campaign doesn’t end that night. 1 November is the perfect moment to bridge into Black Friday and keep your subscribers’ attention.
Tips to make your Halloween emails work
Get the subject line right. A pumpkin 🎃 or ghost 👻 emoji grabs attention, but don’t overdo it. If you’re torn between two versions, run an A/B test on part of your list.
Segment your contacts. Not everyone celebrates the holiday, and some people may find it annoying. Send the most themed campaigns to those who have shown interest or bought in previous years.
Watch the design. Very dark backgrounds and “horror” fonts can hurt readability, especially on mobile. Keep good contrast and a clear call-to-action button. It will definately pay off.
And don’t forget deliverability. Every brand sends more in the final quarter, so check your authentication, clean your list and avoid sudden volume spikes.
How Mailrelay helps
With Mailrelay you can design your Halloween emails in our editor, use AI-assisted writing for your copy and schedule every send in your calendar. You segment by interests or past purchases, test subject lines with A/B tests and combine email and SMS in the same campaign.
All with a free plan of up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts, and multilingual support on every account.
Make your emails scary… for the competition
Schedule your Halloween campaign, test subject lines with A/B tests and track every send in real time. Get started with Mailrelay for free.
Try Mailrelay for freeHalloween FAQ
When is Halloween in 2026? Saturday 31 October 2026.
What does Halloween mean? It comes from All Hallows’ Eve, the eve of All Saints’ Day.
Is Halloween the same as the Day of the Dead? No. Halloween is celebrated on 31 October and has Celtic origins. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition held on 1 and 2 November to remember loved ones who have died.
When should I start my Halloween campaign? In early October. Many consumers shop weeks ahead, and in the US almost half start in September.
In short
Halloween is the perfect occasion for your brand to show its most creative side. Start early, segment well, play with the design without losing readability and use the momentum to head into Black Friday strong.