Fall Is Around the Corner —

Home Decorating Season Kicks into High Gear

Stevens, PA  August 18, 2004 — As nature prepares her annual fall celebration of color, it signals to two-thirds of Americans that it’s time to join in the decorating celebration, according to new research from Unity Marketing.

“Changing leaves, cooler air and the return of football signal the start of the year’s biggest holiday decorating season.  From now through Christmas, consumers will spend about $10 billion buying new decorations to brighten family holiday celebrations,” says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of Why People Buy Things They Don’t Need. 

Decorating for Halloween has become a favorite fall tradition with decorating behavior as predictable as clock-work, according to the research.  People display pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks right after the kids return to school, then mix in Halloween-themed ghosts and goblins in October.  Once trick-or-treat night passes, they return the spooky decorations to the attic and spruce up the wilting natural decorations on the porch with more mums, wreaths and other harvest-home naturals.  Traditionally, the Sunday after Thanksgiving the harvest decorations are thrown on the mulch pile and the Christmas lights, trees, centerpieces, dinnerware and all the other holiday trimmings come out to shine.    

Key findings about the fall holiday decorating market, from Unity Marketing’s Seasonal Decorations Market Report, 2004:  The Who, What, Where, How Much, and Why of Holiday Home Decorating, are based on focus group research with ‘passionate’ holiday decorators and a survey of 1,000 consumers who bought holiday decorations in the past year.

Three favorite decorating holidays fall from October-December

Christmas/Hanukah is the holiday associated with the most decorating, celebrated by 91 percent of Americans, who spend $7.6 billion for new Christmas decorations.  Halloween is the second most popular decorating holiday, with two-thirds of consumers spending $1.5 billion on new decorations.  Thanksgiving is third, celebrated with decorations by 60 percent of consumers and about $1 billion in total spending.

Halloween decorating combines both outside and inside decorations; more decorators focus Thanksgiving indoors

The majority of Halloween decorators decorate both in and outside the home, including lights, flags and banners, and florals, plants and wreaths.  Thanksgiving decorating, however, is more focused on the interior with paper and party decorations, tabletop centerpieces, candles and flowers and plants.

Typical household spends about $40 each on Halloween and Thanksgiving decor

Halloween and Thanksgiving budgets are fairly modest, with the typical decorator spending about $40 for each holiday.  Christmas, by comparison, will account for about $120 in decorations spending.

Halloween decorators will slightly favor ‘spooky’ decorations this year

Spooky-themed decorations, including eerie ghosts, goblins, witches, jack-o-lanterns, skeletons and bats, are on deck as the favorite theme for Halloween.  But not far behind in popularity are ‘fun-and-funky’ humorous themes and ‘harvest home’ decorations. 

For predictions on Christmas Decorating 2004, visit http://www.unitymarketingonline.com/reports2/christmas/pr1.html

Unity Marketing’s new study, Holiday Decorating Report, 2004:  The Who, What, Where, How Much, and Why of Holiday and Seasonal Home Decorating, studies the decorating and purchase behavior of consumers.  It reveals details about which holidays they decorate their homes and what kind of decorations they use.  It also provides detail data about purchases for 11 major decorating holidays, as well as party decorating.  Attitudes about why people decorate for their home are also included.   For more information about the study, follow this link, or visit Unity Marketing Online.

About Unity Marketing
Founded in 1992, Unity Marketing (www.unitymarketingonline.com) is a marketing consulting firm that specializes in consumer insights for luxury marketers.  Pam Danziger is the company’s founder and author of Why People Buy Things They Don't Need ( Chicago : Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004) which uncovers the motivations, desires and emotional needs that drive consumers to buy. Unity also publishes market research studies on the luxury market, jewelry, garden, pet accessories, home furnishings, gifts and collectibles, greeting card and stationery, tabletop, art and wall décor markets, as well as the Luxury Business newsletter. Pam is currently working on her second book, Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury to the Masses — as well as the Classes, to be published in 2005.

For media, Unity Marketing can make tables, charts and graphs available about consumer holiday decorating and spending upon request. 

Contact:  Pam Danziger, 717-336-1600  

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Unity Marketing
188 Cocalico Creek Road
Stevens, PA 17578
Phone: 717-336-1600
Fax: 717-336-1601