Halloween Horror Nights wasn't always a $575M-per-park juggernaut. When Universal launched Fright Nights in 1991 with just three experimental nights and $12 tickets, they stumbled onto something bigger than a haunted house…they uncovered retail's thirteenth month of revenue. In this Spooky Commerce special, we trace how October became the secret weapon for combating theme park slumps, why Spirit Halloween's pop-up model prints money in dead malls, and what happens when horror becomes the ultimate immersive commerce experience.

October: When Pop-Ups Pop Off

Key takeaways:

• Halloween is retail's second-largest holiday and is expected to generate more than $13B in consumer spending this year Universal's Horror Nights operates 48 nights, up from 3 in 1991
• Spirit Halloween's 1,500 pop-ups generate over $1B in dead retail spaces
• Horror reflects cultural anxieties through interactive commerce
• Premium ticketing doubles daily revenue for a  single venue

In-Show Mentions:

• Insiders #210: Spooky Commerce – What Halloween Shopping Trends Tell Us About Modern Culture
• Halloween Horror Nights Wiki
• Forbes: Universal's Halloween Revenue Analysis (2023)
• National Retail Federation Halloween Spending Report

Associated Links:

• Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
• Check out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and print
• Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

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