RM Online - Expect a Titanic Halloween

Manufacturers of Halloween costumes and accessories are, by now, well into the 1998 manufacturing season. There are no real surprises in terms of what is expected to be hot for the 1998 season - anything from disfigured horror looks for fans of Scream II to Titanic survivors/ victims galore are expected to populate many a party in October.

"The biggest trend from what I've seen coming out of Hollywood [which, of course, drives Halloween trends] is Titanic," says Gene Flaharty, sales and marketing manager for makeup manufacturer Mehron, based in New York. "We're expecting this to be really hot because people can dress up in two directions - as a dead person or as a survivor."

The recent popularity of the Scream movies has resulted in a wave of interest in horror costumes and, particularly, horror prosthetics, according to Don McCoullough, president of S.K.S. Novelty Co., based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

"We're seeing a great deal of interest in prosthetic scars, warts and other grotesque accessories," McCoullough says. "Some of the more specific products deal with creating illusions, such as giving the appearance that a nail has been pounded into your face or that you have been struck with a beer bottle."

These kinds of intricate prosthetics, which used to stray no further than the theater and the makeup cases of actors or makeup designers, are now much easier to use and apply, making them a natural for rental businesses to use for add-on sales.

"It's really the ease of use that has gotten better," McCoullough says. "Latex prosthetics out right now are excellent in quality and they are pretty much ready-made. People used to have to pretty much make them before."

The popularity of theme parties and even theme weddings also has created a new chance for accessories and costumes to go beyond Halloween.

"Renaissance costumes continue to rise in popularity," says John Kenny, sales manager of A.R.A. associate member La Mendola, based in Smithtown, N.Y. "There are many Renaissance fairs being held all over the country, plus people are also using these costumes to create theme-type weddings."

S.K.S. Novelty's McCoullough also says wigs and wig/hat combinations are really big. "We stopped carrying low-end wigs, but wigs in the $20-to-$30 range are really popular, with washable fibers."

All makers agree that rental stores have an incredible opportunity for marketing accessories in a way that party retail stores do not, and that is the ability to package the whole deal.

Now the idea of being a one-stop shop is nothing new; it's a rental mantra, but there are ways to package things in ways that many stores might not have thought of:

· Try packaging items for non- Halloween events.

· "Clown around" in the store.

· Definitely have a retail section for add-on sales.

"One suggestion we give is carrying our liquid makeup, offered in primary colors, and market the whole phenomenon of face-painting to local high schools and colleges," Flaharty says. "If sales are slow after Halloween and before spring, this can really boost your business, and you can add on to the costume rentals.

"This can be especially lucrative when you think that athletic games come around every week. Many schools have booths set up for painting the school's colors and logos on people's faces." Recent television also fuels this trend, such as "The Weather Channel" addicts who have weather maps painted on their faces.

Some stores are already doing this with much success, Flaharty says. "We try to encourage them to cater to specific markets with in-store displays."

Another tip that works well for Halloween is having staff members dressed up in rentable costumes, complete with lots of add-on accessories all available in your store. "One of the quickest ways to advertise the overall look is to have an employee in full costume and makeup," Flaharty says. "What this does is take the mystery out of it for the customer, who can ask your employee how hard it was to get ready and how long it takes."

Customers usually feel they can't achieve a look they see in the movies or on TV, but if they see another regular person, not a makeup artist, do it in your store, they are more likely to rent or buy the whole kit and caboodle, Flaharty adds.

"There are also videos you can show in your store and instructional sheets, but that's still all from the professional artist's perspective and is not as effective as the real thing right before them," he says.

La Mendola's Kenny agrees that add-on accessories need to be pushed in-store, and the rental store that does not take advantage of these add-on retail sales is really missing the boat.

"If they [rental store owners] do not have a retail component for Halloween, it's a mistake," Kenny says. "If they are renting garments or even if they are a full rental shop, they should still have a sales area because you have a captive audience. They have already decided to dress up for Halloween, so if they like a costume you have, and they have the ability to add on lots of special things like earrings, high-end fangs, swords, etc., then you have them.

"If you don't have these things, they might just decide to walk out of the store. But you can keep them from going down the road if you can show them everything they'll need to achieve the desired look," Kenny adds.

For those just taking a look at a sales inventory, Kenny says cosmetics are a must because of the fairly high margins, plus they are easy to display and don't take up much valuable showroom space. An array of masks, wigs and special accessories also are needed.

Mehron's Flaharty agrees. "We market three different lines of makeup from performance makeup down to what children would use, and it's all available in a pegboard display. Also popular for rental is a line that comes with three color palettes and an instruction card showing different looks.

"I think rental owners have a good grasp of our rental merchandise," Kenny says. "I think at the very least they need to have one or two products on displays or collages with the costumes available in either a book or pictorial showing how they can be used."