FOCUS ON: THE RANGE
With Halloween growing in the UK, many retailers are offering bigger and better ranges each year and launching their collections earlier in the season. This has certainly been seen at The Range, so Progressive Party Europe caught up with head of marketing, Alice Duxbury, to find out what’s happening this year.
A WEIRD AND WACKY RANGE T raditionally, Halloween happens at retail in the final week or two of October, with people popping in for their costume and decorations in the days leading up to the 31st. But having seen spikes for specific search terms online this year, multi-channel retailer, The Range, listened to its customers, embraced the early interest, and unveiled its extensive Halloween collection to the public in August. Head of marketing, Alice Duxbury, explains: “This year, we saw people search for Christmas trees on our website in early September and so that’s why you can find Christmas, Halloween and even a summer patio set all at once in our stores.” The unusually early start on the season is a reflection of the times, as Alice outlines: “This year has been unprecedented in so many ways and it’s certainly changed people’s buying 28
patterns. Consumers don’t expect to have to wait for products, they want to be able to prepare for Halloween and Christmas at their own pace. This can be for multiple reasons, whether that be a better way to budget or because they don’t want to miss out on trending items.
Top: The online offering at The Range has increased this year, with hundreds of new lines added. Inset: The 7.5 foot Inflatable Pumpkin arch will welcome trick or treaters in style.
“Consumers also get a sense of FOMO when it comes to being inspired by celebrity homes and seasonal set ups. We have a host of famous faces as fans of our brand and customers often shop the look when they see it appear on social media.” Although somewhat earlier this year, Halloween has always been a key date in The Range’s calendar. Alice tells us: “People trust that they will be greeted with a huge selection of weird and wacky Halloween decorations at The Range. We don’t hold back and each year see our store staff produce the best installations and displays that always prompt reaction.” Perhaps also partly due to the change in consumer habits during the pandemic, the retailer’s focus has widened to include more products online in 2021. Alice continues: “Our offering online is bigger than ever this year with hundreds of new lines added. We have a few differing demographics of customers. Those who go big on home displays on the exterior of their properties, those who love novelty items and those who love an excuse to host a party and so are always on the hunt for tableware and treat bowls.” Reflecting those different ways of celebrating the Halloween season, The Range is seeing
OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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04/10/2021 14:20