As fewer consumers decide to participate, so do their total expected spending. This year, 44.1 percent of U.S. consumers plan to spend $3.29 billion on St. Patrick’s Day. Both figures show a slight decline in both participation and spending from last year, when 46.0 percent of consumers said they planned to spend $3.64 billion to celebrate.

The notable decline in spending derives from everyone – even the biggest holiday spenders, young adults – choosing to spend cautiously this year.

“Increased concern about the economy among young adults has forced many of them to pull back on discretionary spending,” said Tracy Mullin, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation. While 71.8 percent of them celebrated last year, only 66.3 percent decided to participate this year.

The most profitable St. Patrick’s Day observed in past five years, back in 2007, fell on a Saturday. As a result, nearly one-third of participating consumers planned to celebrate at a restaurant or bar. Slightly less, about 29.6 percent, plan to do so this year.

Traditionally though, the ways U.S. consumers celebrate the holiday tend to remain the same, according to the National Retail Federation. As observed this year, the majority – almost 82 percent – plan to celebrate by wearing green, while about one-third of those surveyed said they plan to make a special dinner at home.

Using statistical information, recent surveys and targeted polling as resources, Halloween-News.com predicts the following Halloween trends for 2008:

Adult Costumes

This years movie to watch for will include Batman: the Dark Night, Indiana Jones and The Terminator. Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas are always present. You’ll still see a surge of pirate costumes since Capt. Jack Sparrow is still popular. Couples costumes will be big again this year, take a look at some of them at http://www.adulthalloweencostumes.com . The usual horror film bad guys such as the new Michael Meyers costume and mask, Jason from the Friday the 13th series and Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street are all still popular. Classic movie villains such as Dracula, the Wolfman and the Mummy are always good choices. There is a strong resurgence towards the traditional, macabre, dark and sexy. Theater quality Vampire and Witch costumes, particularly sexy ones will be to die for this year. Elvira style costumes will also be in great demand. Gothic, ghostly apparitions as couples costumes will also make an appearance.

Decorating

People are decorating for Halloween like never before! The focus is on realism for adult parties, dark and spooky with lots of realism. With the availability of low cost consumer-based fog machines, more will be sold this Halloween due to the three day week-end with Halloween falling on a Friday this year. You’ll also see more elaborate yard haunts pop-up on this special night, complete with graveyards, skeletons, ghosts and special effects.

Halloween Parties

Halloween falls on a Friday this year and that means a week-end of partying! That gives us an extended two days to celebrate and throw week-end parties, also allowing for longer times running haunted houses and Halloween charity parties. Whether its a Pack of Pirates, Den of Vampires, Zombies, or Ghostly Apparitions, theme based parties are definitely in! And those that hold these parties will pull-out all the stops when it comes to decorating and the libation.

There are several ways to get your store’s space working for you. The first is your store’s actual building or room. Think of what you can do to make your store’s inner shell more inviting. For instance, if the walls are white and your lighting consists solely of florescent bulbs, then think of using some warm-colored paint along with bulbs that are less stark. The less your store looks like a warehouse, the better! And, use the theme of your products to your advantage. If you sell toys , then get whimsical in your decorations – maybe a blue ceiling with painted clouds, big, framed pictures of close-up toy pictures on the walls, etc. Get creative in your surroundings – they are meant to delight your customers!

Next, it’s important to group your products logically and display them together. If you sell both inflatable boats and electric pumps, then they should be displayed near each other – otherwise you could be missing out on an obvious up-sell sale.

Once you have your product groupings figured out, it’s time to display them using tables, shelves, furniture, etc. The key is to get as many of your most intriguing items between waist to eye level. Even the most charming of products will go unnoticed if they’re sitting on a bottom shelf – save that space for additional stock. First, lay out your display furniture (you may want to use paper cut-outs until you get the arrangement figured out) to get just the right flow – making sure that aisles are wide and that the arrangement gives customers a natural walking path through your store. Now it’s time to arrange your products. Newest arrivals should always be in the most eye-catching of spaces – that way repeat customers will see that your store is always changing. The way your products are displayed will depend on the type of store you have. If you sell decorations for the home, you might want your displays to mimic rooms of a house. If you sell children’s products, you may want to have products both in and out of the box, as parents typically like to read all the product information that the manufacturer prints on the retail packaging as well as see and test the product up close.

Another important point to remember is that whether or not you’re continually getting in new merchandise, it’s always good to change things up once in a while. Move products around, change displays, etc. Give customers a reason to keep coming back – changing the inside scenery gives the impression that new products are always coming in and that there’s always something new to see. Some examples to consider:

* Seasonal or holiday-themed displays
* Displays for upcoming special events (i.e. the Super Bowl, the Oscars, or even local events)
* New product lines, brands, or designers

Creativity and attractiveness are the keys when designing your retail displays . If you have an artistic flair, then this is your time to have fun and boost your sales at the same time!

Every season will see different products shoot to the top of the must-have list and others sitting on the shelves, gathering dust. What you want to know is how to stock more of those ‘must-haves’ and fewer of the dust gatherers.

Some seasons will see a trend to fewer purchases – other months, everything you have on the shelves will be selling.

While you can’t change your customers’ buying patterns or convince them to buy what they don’t want, you can use a little logic, research and planning to try and get a better picture of when they are going to want things, what they may want and then prepare accordingly.

Do Your Homework

Start by trying to predict what will sell. If you don’t keep a record of your store sales, you may have a problem with this. The best way to predict the future is to learn from the past.

Looking at your sales from the same time period a year ago will give you a good idea of what sales will be at same time this year.

If you are planning for the fall season, look at last year’s fall sales to know what may be selling this year. Generally, the same types of items will sell, just in the current season’s styles.

Next, plan for typical down times. Create ways to bring customers in that may not traditionally choose to shop right now.

If you would prefer to hear the cash registers ring, you need to come up with new ways to get customers. Some options to do this include holding events, sales and stocking special items:

* Events – Season-based themes usually go over very well (Summer Beach Fun, Spring Break, etc). Use the current season to create an event that incorporates your items.

You could have special visitors that customers can meet, or even a themed party that gets them into your store having fun, and makes them more likely to open their wallets.

* Sales – A great deal will bring in shoppers that were not originally planning to spend money. Design clear signage that lets shoppers know how great the deals are in your store and what they’ll be missing out on if they just walk by.

* Special Items – If your regular items aren’t selling as well, maybe it’s time to try out a few new items or unique niche items that may grab the attention of your customers.

If you can get them in to purchase one small unique item, you may be able to get them to stick around – and purchase a couple more items that are part of your regular inventory.

The key to coping with varying and seasonal product demand is to try to plan ahead for those times to keep the profits coming in.

While it may seem like it’s too cold to worry about things warming up right now, spring is closer than you think. If you don’t get moving now, you’re going to be behind when the winter clearances should be giving way to spring arrivals.

Out With the Old

Winter may not be over quite yet, but that doesn’t mean you need to keep the shelves stocked with too much remaining fall and winter merchandise. It’s time to start the markdowns.

You should be making tempting offers that shoppers can’t resist to get rid of those older items. The more that goes out the door, the more money you have in hand to stock the shelves come spring and summer.

In With the New

This is a time when you should be carefully sorting out what you need to keep your shelves full for the upcoming season. You also don’t want to have so much that you lose money on the back end of the year.

As you are working on clearance pricing for your winter line, look at the amount of items you have left to move and do some thinking:

> How far off were your sales estimates for the season?

> How well did you predict which items your customers would like?

> Were your price points good enough to make customers buy?

If you have a lot of markdowns, you should do some re-evaluation. While you could repeat the process, that is going to cut into your bottom line and could cause money hardships down the road.

Instead, it’s time to figure out what went wrong and make it right. Calculate your product turnover ratio to determine how quickly your moving inventory, and make changes to meet your customers’ demands more effectively.

A (Wo)Man With a Plan

While you may think a buying plan will start with a list of what you should be buying, the reality is it should start with a list of what your customers are likely to purchase. You can buy all sorts of things to put on your shelves, but the important items are the ones your customers are going to want.

You should start with looking at what you have sold in the past. If you kept your point-of-sale information organized, you should be easily able to look month by month to see how many of various types of items were sold over the past year. This is a good way to gauge what types of sales you can expect in those same months this year.

Take these numbers and then factor in any upcoming fashion trends for the season that may cause a boost in one particular area, as well as any promotions you are considering holding over the course of the season.

Inventory Matters

When it comes to deciding what to put in inventory, you will, of course, need to have more than you are planning to sell. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have a bunch of empty shelves. You need to factor in the amount of merchandise you need to set displays and fill in gaps from once an item sells out until new inventory is delivered.

You should always have inventory for 1-3 months of sales. After all, you never know when you are going to have a spike in sales and a delivery slowdown that collide. When you go over the sales numbers from the past year, you should get a good idea of how many of each item you’ll need for 1-3 months down the road, as well as display stock.

This kind of research can let you set up your delivery schedule months in advance. If you do this right, just as you are just getting to the point where you think it’s a good time to restock, the next shipment should be arriving.

Look ahead to sales. Before the season starts you should have a good idea of how long and strong your selling will run before you need to start seasonal markdowns.

Once spring arrives, you can’t just coast along. As the season unfolds, don’t put all that planning paperwork away. You should monitor real time sales versus your predicted sales, and see how close you came. You can use this information to better tweak your business in the seasons and years to come.

There’s a tradition in my family that for any occasion that warrants a card, especially birthdays, the meaner the card is the better. We often try to out do the other contenders and the result is often big laughs. The more insulting the card, the more you’re loved–we have an understanding.

We’re not the only people who share this fun, albeit unusual, tradition and with Valentine’s Day upon us, it appears that businesses are beginning to cash in on this quirky trend. For example, American Greetings Corp. has an entire category of "Anti-Valentine’s Day" cards.

And they’re not the only ones capitalizing on the anti-Valentine’s Day theme. Other businesses are coming up with unique ways to promote their businesses such as a bowling alley in Cleveland hosting a "Love…Spare Me!" event and clothing and merchandise stores selling t-shirts and stickers promoting "single awareness."

So the next time a popular holiday rolls around, try a variation on the theme…you might even start a new trend!

Valentine’s Day Shopping Statistics for the U.S.:

* Consumers now spend an average of $100.89 on Valentine’s Day gifts (from the National Federation of Retailers).

* 62% of consumers purchased at least one card, 47.1% purchased candy, 42.1% paid for dinner or a night out (from the National Federation of Retailers).

* Florists sold over 189 million roses (from the Society of American Florists).

* Chocolate retailers sold over 36 million heart-shaped candy boxes (National Confectioner’s Association).

What can retailers do to claim their share of consumers’ Valentine’s Day spending?

Start your marketing early – Valentine’s Day seems to come so quickly after the new year that it’s one of the most notorious holidays for “last minute gifts”. So, why not snag some early sales by reminding your visitors about the holiday – in January? Start offering Valentine’s Day specials toward the end of January – come February 1 your store should be completely decked out with a Valentine’s Day theme – pink hearts, purple balloons, whatever it takes to get consumers to say “oh right, Valentine’s day is coming!”.

Romance your customers – Have a wide selection of Valentine’s Day gifts organized in displays that are both logical and pleasing to the eye. Try to recreate “romance” as best you can within your display. In order to get your customers to purchase their V-day gifts from you, you’ll need to get them in the right mood first. Consider having certain products grouped together in gift baskets – there are plenty of customers who want to get their special someone something nice, but they don’t know where to start. Gift baskets offer a beautiful presentation of gifts that go well together.

Add to your product line-up – Consider adding some additional romantic gifts that complement your current offering. No matter what you sell, you can always find romantic gifts that target your audience – stuffed animals, fragrances , lingerie , and balloons are just a few ideas. Think like your customers and do the research to find Valentine’s Day gifts that will fit in with your current product line-up.

The same things go for online stores. Break out the pink, red, white and purple colors, and hearts and cupids too. If you don’t literally force Valentine’s Day on customers then there’s a good chance they won’t think of it or even be in the mindset to buy their gifts from you. Grab visitors’ attention with specials, gift packs and more. Be creative in your Valentine’s Day marketing – send out an email campaign, spice up your online ads – there’s plenty that can be done to get the word out to your customers that you have the perfect gift for their special someone.

Seasonal business can either close down at the end of the selling period or stay open and diversify their product or service offerings. Take a ski mountain for instance. There are plenty of resorts that close their doors come spring and won’t reopen until winter. Then, there are other mountains that extend their business for a full year by offering alpine slope rides, gondola rides, hiking expeditions and more. Think of your business and its products or services. Can it be expanded or re-marketed to hit a new audience in the off-season? It may take some clever thinking, but plenty of seasonal businesses have turned a once six-month operating business into a full twelve-month operation.

Here’s another example: Let’s say you have an online store that sells kites. Obviously you’ll make most of your sales in the spring and summer months. But, think about your audience: they like to be outdoors and control an activity toy. Now, think of something they can do in the wintertime. Can you sell remote control miniature snowmobiles or something similar? You already have a mailing list of customers who have the desire to be outside and have fun…now you can let them know about your new winter line of products. Maybe even a “winterized” line of snow kites! The point is, think of your audience, be creative and find a new way to satisfy your customers’ needs.

Using your time wisely during the off season

If you enjoy your months off too much to consider expanding into a year-round business or if your business is just too specialized to expand, then you can still put your off-months to good use. By working just a few hours a week during your off-season, you can work to find new customers, expand your product or service line, create new marketing materials or give your business a facelift. Injecting some new life into your business could increase profits, widen your target market and expand your product or service line. A boost in profits means more cash flow to help carry you through the off-season!

Budgeting during the off season

A big problem for seasonal businesses is being able to carry a few months worth of cash flow through a full twelve months. While the doors of your business may be closed, maintenance expenses, taxes and equipment leases still need to be paid off. Take your season’s profit and divide it by twelve. That number is your monthly profit – to be spread out through all twelve months. Be diligent in budgeting your cash flow and you won’t be strapped for cash mid-way through the off-season. However, it’s always smart to keep a line of credit open with a bank just in case you need a little cash boost because of an unforeseen expense. That will save your business from running into trouble, and possibly going bankrupt.

Concerned about paying your employees during the downtime? It’s probably a better idea not to have full-time employees for a seasonal business, until you can make yours a year-round operation and justify that expense. Consider hiring seasonal temporary help where you can. If you need additional help during off-peak, you can hire part-time help and make them full-time when you become busier. You may even be able to save money by hiring freelancers to do certain jobs like copywriting or graphic design.

Seasonal businesses require flexibility in cash flow and the operating season. If you’d like to expand your seasonal business into a full-year operation, then put your pen to paper and start brainstorming. Take a look at other businesses in your seasonal industry and see what they’re doing – you might just find yourself a great idea!