As an old bird, technology or rather what it can do can baffle my brain. However, even I am aware of the power of social media. And, if you’ve not yet embraced Facebook, Instagram or Twitter then Halloween gives you the perfect opportunity.

Photos of brightly coloured displays or staff dressed up as ghosts and witches can be posted online at the press of a button. You can communicate with your shoppers by showing off your shelves and encouraging them to drop by.

There’s no doubt that social media is a great way to interact or ’engage’ with your customers. Get them to share their Halloween plans or you could run a competition for scariest costume or best- carved pumpkin or best-dressed pet (yes, dressing up your dog as a scary beast is all the rage). And as Halloween takes place during many schools’ half-term holidays, you’ll be giving bored kids something more to do. The prize for the competition doesn’t have to be costly either.

But Halloween is not just for kids. According to Mintel, Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) love Halloween and that’s because they grew up celebrating it and now, as adults, like to use it as an excuse for a party.

Asda is the supermarket to watch when it comes to Halloween. As it’s owned by US giant Walmart, it had a head start over other stores. It has grown its Halloween range by 32% in the past six years with costumes and make-up its best-selling items. But it reports that pet costumes and decorations for the home are growing in popularity. Of course, these are not items that a typical forecourt store would sell but you might want to pop along and see what they’re doing and possibly buy a couple of items as props for your seasonal displays.

It’s probably wiser to stick to items that are good for parties and trick-or-treating and there are plenty of those around. My favourite item from this year’s launches is the Giant Chupa Chups Skull complete with Fizzy Brain. Some say that pink and green should never be seen, but it’s a very eye-catching combination on this product. I’m definitely going to buy one!

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