Halloween Promotions: 10 Ghoul-Proof Ways To Market Your Business

It's no secret that handling an influx of customers during any holiday season can be a scary task. But with a little bit of creativity (and maybe a few ghosts and goblins), your Halloween promotions are sure to be a treat!

In this guide, we'll show you some spooktacular marketing ideas to help get your retail or hospitality business ready for the Halloween season.

So grab yourself a slice of barmbrack, and let's get started!

How can Halloween promotions benefit your business?

Halloween is an excellent opportunity to get creative with your marketing and connect with your customers personally. By incorporating Halloween into your promotions, you can show that you're fun, festive, and approachable!

Think about it - what other time of year can you dress up your boutique's shopfront in cobwebs and skeletons and not get strange looks from passersby? Halloween is the perfect time to let your brand's personality shine through! And where better to celebrate than the home of Halloween itself? The festival began here in Ireland over 2,000 years ago as Samhain.

With adults in Ireland expected to spend €61 million on Halloween in 2025, and more than seven in ten planning to buy something for the occasion, there's also a big financial incentive to get involved in Halloween promotions.

Here are three ways Halloween promotions can benefit your small business:

Increased footfall

One of the best things about Halloween promotions is the increased footfall they can bring to your business. Halloween brings people out into their local town centres, whether they're trick-or-treating with the kids or heading out for a spooky night with friends. So whether you're hosting a Halloween party at your pub or giving away free sweets in your shop, make sure your promotions are enticing enough to get people through the door.

Improved customer engagement

Halloween offers a great opportunity to get customers involved in your promotions. Incorporating interactive elements into your marketing can encourage customers to participate and engage with your brand.

An opportunity to show off your brand's personality

People buy from brands they know, like, and trust. And what better way to build that relationship than by showing off your brand's personality? Halloween is the perfect time to let your customers see the human side of your business. So go ahead and have some fun with your Halloween promotions - your customers will thank you for it!

Halloween promotion ideas to get your business in the spooky spirit

1. Get festive with your shopfront

One of the easiest ways to get into the spooky spirit is by decorating your shopfront. Adding some Halloween decorations to your window displays can be a great way to catch people's attention and get them in the door.

Research shows that window displays influence a person's decision to enter a shop. So go ahead and get creative - your customers will appreciate the festive touch!

Tips for decorated shopfronts:

• Keep it tasteful: Remember, you want to attract customers, not scare them away! So avoid any décor that might be considered too scary or offensive. That means use your senses when it comes to blood, guts, or gore.
• Make it interactive: Add some interactivity to your display by incorporating games or puzzles. This will make it more fun to look at and encourage people to linger longer.
• Sustainability is key: 80% of adults in Ireland think retailers should cut single-use plastic packaging for Halloween products. So when choosing your Halloween-related merchandise, make sure to go for eco-friendly options whenever possible. Instead of plastic spiders, try using paper ones. And instead of polystyrene tombstones, opt for cardboard or wood.

2. Post a Halloween giveaway on social media

Another great way to get people excited about your business is hosting a Halloween giveaway on social media. This is a great way to increase brand awareness and reach a wider target audience. And the best part is, it doesn't have to be expensive! Just come up with a prize that's relevant to your business and Halloween-themed, and you're good to go.

Some giveaway ideas for your hospitality business include:

• A complimentary drink or appetiser for customers who come in dressed up in a Halloween costume
• A Halloween-themed cocktail or menu item
• A competition for the best Halloween-themed selfie taken at your establishment

Some giveaway ideas for your retail business include:

• A Halloween-themed gift basket filled with your products
• A discount on all Halloween-related items in your shop
• A competition for the best Halloween costume using items from your shop

So get creative and have fun with it! Your customers will appreciate the effort.

3. Get your (local) influencers involved

93% of marketers have used influencer marketing, and the fun thing is, it works well for businesses big and small! Local and micro-influencers often work with small businesses in exchange for products, and Halloween is a great time to start a partnership on social media and get some free exposure for your business. Don't be afraid to reach out to an influencer directly whom you feel complements your brand with an offer, such as a free meal, haircut or visit, for example.

Alternatively, you can send influencers a free gift in exchange for free online advertisement. Let's say you own a beauty salon. You could send a Halloween-themed 'swag bag' to beauty bloggers and vloggers filled with your latest hair and makeup products. In return, they would post about your products on their social media channels and tag your business. This would be a great way to reach a new audience and get people excited about your brand. There are many different ways to do this, and the trick may be to reach out to several influencers to see what they think. As a side note, there's no need to reach out to the influencers with millions of followers; even a local influencer, who is just starting out, could be a great marketing asset!

4. Introduce a limited edition Halloween product

If I were to ask you to think of the most famous coffee chain in the world, what would come to mind? I'm willing to bet that many of you would say Starbucks. And do you know what one of the things that makes Starbucks so popular is? Their seasonal drinks! People go crazy for their pumpkin spice latte every autumn, and it's become a Halloween tradition for many.

So why not introduce a limited-edition Halloween product of your own? This is a great way to get people excited about your brand and drive sales. And it doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. If you run a bakery, it could be something as simple as a Halloween-themed cookie or cupcake. Or go traditional with your own barmbrack, complete with a ring hidden inside for one lucky customer. And if you own a pub or hotel, you could introduce a Halloween-themed cocktail or menu item.

5. Participate in a trick-or-treating event

Oh, the memories. Knocking on neighbours' doors in your Halloween costume, eagerly waiting to see what kind of Halloween treats you would get. Trick-or-treating is a Halloween tradition loved by many, both young and old. And what better way to get people excited about your business than by participating in a trick-or-treating event?

This is a great way to reach a broad audience and generate some buzz for your business. You could hand out Halloween-themed vouchers, promotional materials, or even some good old-fashioned sweets. And if you really want to stand out, you could host your trick-or-treating event at your business.

6. Create a Halloween promotions video

Video is one of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal, and short videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts make it easy to reach new customers without a big budget. So, why not take advantage of this and create a Halloween promotions video?

Some of the most popular types of videos are:

• Music videos: Have you ever heard of the Monster Mash? It's a Halloween classic! Why not get all your employees together and create a Halloween-themed music video? You could even post it on TikTok or YouTube and get people talking about your business.
• Spooky skits: Do you own a restaurant or café? Get your team to act out a short Halloween scene, like a chef discovering something terrifying in the walk-in fridge (spoiler: it's the new pumpkin pie). Silly, short skits are made for social media and show off your team's personality.
• Tutorial or how-to videos: Halloween is the perfect time to get creative with your makeup. So why not create a Halloween makeup tutorial video? This would be a great way to show off your products and interest people.

7. Promote a Halloween sale on your online shop

Another great Halloween marketing idea is hosting a Halloween sale. You could offer some Halloween discounts on your products or services or even free delivery. And to really get people excited about it, you could promote the sale with a Halloween-themed video or email campaign.

For example, you can promote your Halloween sale with a spooky discount (13%, of course) on all costumes and treat bags. Promote this sale with a Halloween-themed email campaign, which features spooky images and Halloween-themed copy.

8. Sponsor a Halloween event

Halloween is a great time to get involved with community events. And one way you can do this is by sponsoring a Halloween event. This could be anything from a Halloween parade to a Halloween party. And it's a great way to get your business name out there.

Some brilliant ways to find community events taking place are:

• On social media
• In local newspapers and magazines
• On event sites like Eventbrite

Ireland also has some brilliant Halloween festivals, from the Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin to the Púca Festival in Meath and the Macnas Halloween Parade in Galway, so keep an eye out for local events you could get involved with.

Want to take it one step further? Why not host your own event? Three in four adults in Ireland think local councils should do more to provide safe, family-friendly Halloween events, so there's a real opportunity for businesses to fill the gap. This would be a great way to generate some buzz for your business and get people talking about you. You could include fun themed games such as a pumpkin (or traditional Irish turnip!) carving competition or a spooky scavenger hunt. Just leave the fireworks to the professionals: using fireworks without a licence is illegal in Ireland.

Let's say you own a food truck. You could partner with other local businesses and host a Halloween-themed food truck festival. This would be a great way to showcase your food and get people excited about your business. And it would be a lot of fun too!

9. Send a Halloween email or SMS campaign

Your customer list is one of your most valuable marketing tools, and Halloween gives you the perfect excuse to use it. A short, spooky-themed email or text can remind customers about your Halloween offers and bring them back through the door.

Some ideas to try:

• A "trick or treat" email where customers click to reveal a mystery discount
• A countdown to Halloween with a new offer each week
• A last-minute text on 30 October reminding customers about costume deals or Halloween night events

With the Mailchimp integration, you can use the customer details already saved in your POS to send targeted campaigns in a few clicks.

10. Run a Halloween loyalty reward

Halloween is a great time to reward your regulars and turn first-time visitors into repeat customers. Offer double loyalty points on Halloween purchases, a free treat after a set number of visits in October, or a bonus reward for customers who come in wearing a costume.

For example, a pub could offer a free drink on the customer's next visit for anyone who orders the Halloween cocktail, giving people a reason to come back in November. A loyalty programme linked to your POS tracks points automatically, so there are no paper stamp cards to manage.

Quick Halloween ideas by business type

The ideas above work for most businesses, but a pub's Halloween looks very different from a gift shop's. So we've pulled together a few extra ideas just for restaurants, pubs and shops, to help you make the most of the night in your own way.

Halloween promotion ideas for restaurants and pubs

• Create a spooky set menu: Turn your Halloween specials into a themed set menu, like a three-course "Monster Mash" with a starter, main, and dessert at a fixed price. It's an easy upsell, and themed menus are a great way to attract new faces.
• Offer a "kids eat free in costume" deal: With Halloween falling on a Saturday in 2026, prepare for plenty of families! They're a big (and potentially lucrative) crowd, so why not offer an early-evening deal where kids in costume eat free with a paying adult? It's a great way to fill tables before trick-or-treating starts and the partygoers arrive.
• Host a Halloween quiz or murder mystery night: Swap your usual quiz night for a spooky one, or host a murder mystery evening where guests solve the "crime" over dinner and drinks. Events like these give people a reason to choose you over competitors with more generic offerings.
• Plan for the late-night crowd: Halloween's not just for the kids! Once the trick-or-treating is over, adults head out to celebrate. Extend your hours, add late-night drink specials, and make sure you've got enough staff on to handle the Halloween night rush.

Halloween promotion ideas for retail shops

So now on to retail. While we've covered ideas that would work for most businesses, shops have their own Halloween opportunities, from last-minute costume hunters to post-Halloween bargain seekers. We've sneaked in a few extra ideas (for free) that will work well in your shop this spooky season.

• Set up a last-minute costume corner: Costumes are one of the biggest Halloween spends, and plenty of people leave theirs to the last minute. Set up a display of easy costume pieces, like hats, capes, face paint, and accessories, near the front of your shop for shoppers who need a costume fast.
• Offer a free treat bag with every purchase: Run a "spend €X, get a free Halloween treat bag" offer. It encourages customers to add one more item to their basket, and kids will remember your shop as the one with the best treats.
• Don't forget the pets: Pet costumes are big business at Halloween, so if you can find a way to cater to animal lovers, that's a win! Put together a pet costume display, or host a pet costume competition on your social media channels.
• Clear your seasonal stock on 1 November: Don't let leftover Halloween stock gather dust. Run a post-Halloween sale on 1 November to clear decorations, sweets, and costumes, and to bring bargain hunters into your shop.

When should you start your Halloween promotions?

It feels like Halloween and Christmas promotions start earlier and earlier each year, but there's a good reason for this. The earlier you start, the more of the Halloween spend you can capture. This year, the October bank holiday falls on Monday 26 October, and most schools are off for midterm that week, so the whole week before Halloween will be busy. Here's a simple timeline to follow:

• Early September: Plan your promotions, order seasonal stock and decorations, and reach out to influencers.
• Late September: Tease your Halloween plans on social media and start building excitement with your email list.
• Early October: Decorate your shopfront, launch your limited edition products, and run your social media giveaway.
• Mid-October: Launch your Halloween sale and promote any events you're hosting or sponsoring.
• Bank holiday and midterm week: Push last-minute offers, costume deals, and Halloween night events.
• 1 November: Discount leftover seasonal stock and check your sales reports to see which promotions worked best.

Final thoughts

At the end of the day, it's important to remember that Halloween only comes around once a year, so lean into the season and make it count. Pick a couple of ideas that suit your business, start planning early, and don't be afraid to have a little fun with it. Remember: the best Halloween promotions are the ones your customers can't stop talking about. Happy haunting!