Home Depot's $300 Skeleton Filled a Market Need
The percentage of adults who love spending on the spooky holiday is increasing. More big retailers need to pay attention.
Big retailers should be afraid of missing the Halloween kidulting market.
Image: Home Depot
How a $300 12-foot plastic skeleton became a viral sensation three years ago is still somewhat of a mystery to the people at Home Depot Inc. who created it. Maybe it was timing: The skeleton called “Skelly” came to market during the height of lockdowns in the fall of 2020. Perhaps it was its unexpected larger-than-life size: Who can overlook a Halloween decoration taller than a basketball hoop
For years, discounters such as Dollar Tree Inc. and Dollar General Corp. have dominated the Halloween market. But Skelly’s success shows shoppers want more than cheap fake spider webs and jack-o’-lantern candy buckets; they want novelty. That demand will only grow as adults increasingly return to feel-good childhood activities. The broader retail industry would be wise to reinvent their Halloween strategy with this emerging group of shoppers in mind.