This spooky season is expected to be bigger than ever. Explore these SMS examples to inspire your brand’s Halloween marketing strategy.

While many marketers already have their sights set on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, another holiday is just around the corner—and it’s expected to be the largest one yet. Halloween sales are expected to reach a record $10.6 billion.

As eager shoppers are already “trick or treating” themselves to new costumes and decorations, retailers are capturing this demand by launching early Halloween promotions. This retail holiday isn’t limited to selling costumes or candy, though. Any brand can tap into beloved traditions and fun. 

Check out how top brands are using SMS as part of their Halloween strategies to:

• Boost conversions with free gifts and shipping
• Build customer relationships through welcome messages
• Inspire subscribers with product recommendations
• Drive revenue from limited-edition products
• Encourage product discovery with curated bundles

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Milani Cosmetics: Boosting conversions with free gifts and shipping

Makeup and beauty brand Milani Cosmetics created a series of touchpoints around Halloween to engage their SMS subscribers and drive seasonal revenue. The first campaign offered a free sticker set with any Halloween purchase. This “free gift with purchase” strategy not only builds brand loyalty, but is also a great alternative if your brand doesn’t offer discounts.

Towards the end of the month, Milani sent a second text that included a helpful shipping deadline reminder to drive last-minute orders, and offered free shipping with their relevant promo code (“SPOOKY”) to encourage last-minute shoppers to purchase.

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Simply Carbon Fiber: Building customer relationships with a welcome text

Simply Carbon Fiber—a direct-to-consumer watch and accessory retailer—prevented their new customers from feeling ghosted last Halloween by setting up a triggered welcome message. If a customer subscribed to the brand’s SMS program during the holiday sale, they were automatically greeted with this text. 

While the promo code (“HW25”) reflected their Halloween marketing, the general sitewide sale appealed to all new SMS subscribers. By pairing the message with a seasonal sale, Simply Carbon Fiber incentivized new subscribers to shop without having to offer additional discounts.

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Vintage Foundry Co: Inspiring subscribers with product recommendations

Footwear brand Vintage Foundry Co promoted their Halloween sale by pairing costume inspiration with a product recommendation. The GIF showcased different product styles next to a clip from the film The Joker. This side-by-side comparison demonstrated how to recreate the look, while capturing subscribers’ attention with a popular movie reference. 

The early Halloween campaign reminded subscribers that it’s time to start planning their costume—and showed them how easy it is to find the perfect discounted footwear to complete it. With consumers expected to spend $3.6 billion on costumes alone this year, creative campaigns like this are a great way to have fun with your mobile audience and tap into timely shopping trends.

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Sprayground: Driving revenue from limited-edition products

Sprayground—a streetwear brand known for their unique backpacks—sent a creative text campaign to promote their seasonal “Boo Collection.” They paired the festive Halloween poem with an eye-catching GIF that showcased the collection in a spooky, animated scene. The exclusive nature of the limited-edition product drove immediate action from their highly engaged SMS subscribers.

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Splash Wine: Encouraging product discovery with curated bundles

Splash Wine—a wine subscription service—treated their mobile audience with an invitation to shop their punny “Hallo-WINE Spooktacular” sale. The brand’s SMS subscriber base of winos was the perfect audience to invite to restock on their favorites with this type of bulk sale.

The day before Halloween, the online wine retailer shared the sale details and link to curate their case. The brand grabbed subscribers’ attention with a vibrant GIF, building anticipation around the seasonal perk. 

Halloween falls right before the biggest time of the year for retail and e-commerce brands. And it’s the perfect time to experiment with new ways to engage subscribers and see what resonates.

Looking for more ways to prepare and plan for the holiday season? Explore our Holiday Marketing Reboot, an interactive guide full of holiday tips and strategies you can implement for your own brand.

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Tips for other upcoming fall holidays:

• National First Responders Day (October 28): Celebrate frontline workers and encourage subscribers to shop by donating a percentage of every purchase to a charity that supports them.
• End of Daylight Savings (November 6): As the clocks fall back, invite your subscribers to shop a playful “25-hour flash sale.” Highlight seasonal clearance items and encourage them to shop before they’re gone.
• Singles Day (November 11): Remind subscribers to embrace the single life and treat themselves with self-care product recommendations and a fun, empowering GIF.
• National Happy Hour Day (November 12): Share a recipe for a good time, recommending products subscribers can enjoy during their next happy hour—from glassware to cocktail attire.
• National Hiking Day (November 17): Share an SMS-exclusive offer for your outdoorsy subscribers to use on anything from hiking apparel to sunscreen.
• Thanksgiving (November 24): Thank subscribers with an exclusive offer for free shipping, or a dollar-off discount they can redeem in-store.

Check out our full 2022 text messaging calendar to find more tips for key marketing dates. And find more inspiration for Halloween and beyond in our SMS gallery, Texts We Love.