Halloween is an increasingly important day in the UK, with the influence of American pop culture helping it to gain momentum over here. Now a study from BazaarVoice indicates that October 31st is also significant for signalling the start of the pre-Christmas boost to safe shopping online.

The consumer-oriented impact of Halloween is measured in the sheer amount of traffic that it generates online, with a 260 per cent uptick in activity in the month leading up to the day itself.

People who are planning to attend Halloween parties or take their children trick or treating not only have to think about buying the right costumes and accessories, but also stocking up on food items which will be appropriate to distribute. So sites which offer safe shopping online cater to this market, just like their high street equivalents.

In fact, Halloween is now seen as a significant event for e-commerce which generates a spike in sales that is only exceeded when Black Friday rolls around at the end of November each year.

In comparison, the 800 per cent rise in internet traffic seen on Black Friday makes Halloween look a little less impressive. But, nevertheless, it is clear that this trend is changing consumer habits and that more people are getting onboard with this holiday.

The study also looked at the types of costumes which generated a lot of interest this year. One of the hottest get-ups was a kit enabling children to dress up as Captain Phasma from the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie, while at the other end of the spectrum there was not much interest in Christmas-themed costumes.

Retail analysts are always looking for new ways to chart progress in the industry and Halloween may well become an important event to track.