People are expected to spend $3.9 billion on Halloween candy this year. But one candy consistently tops the list as America's favorite, owning our hearts—and stomachs. Keep reading to find out how Reese's turned two simple ingredients into one of the most spellbinding Halloween traditions.
Read time: 4 minutes ⚡
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Imagine this… As a procrastinator, you're speed-walking to the candy aisle at Target on October 28th. Your shopping list says "Halloween candy," but suddenly you find yourself staring at a sea of 27+ options on the shelves. Sleep-deprived, your brain begins to short-circuit. → Do you buy the variety pack? (Probably safer, right?) → Do you grab the "fun size" or "snack size"? (Is there actually a difference?) → What if you pick something the neighborhood kids hate and your house becomes known as "the disappointing factory of sadness"? (Will they egg my house?) The pressure is real.
As your eyes continue scanning the shelves, they miraculously land on the orange bag filled with Reese's Pumpkins. The decision stress evaporates immediately. Your hand reaches for the bag of Reese's Pumpkins before your brain even registers what you're doing. Suddenly, three bags are in your basket, and you're mentally preparing yourself to become the neighborhood's Halloween hero. How did this candy brand become your go-to for Halloween? In today's special edition of Why We Buy π§ , we'll explore a well-known company to see how they use buyer psychology principles in their business. This week we're diving into Reese's—the devilishly delicious candy brand behind America's top-selling Halloween treat. Let's get into it. π€ A Look Inside Reese's
In 1928, a former dairy farmer named H.B. Reese had a wild (but wonderful) idea: stuff peanut butter inside chocolate. Reese had worked at Hershey, so he knew all about chocolate. And he began making all different types of candy from his basement, including Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They became so popular that Reese eventually stopped making everything else, betting his entire company on this one product. It paid off.
By 1963, Hershey bought the company for $23.5 million—about $244 million in today's money. (Crazy enough, Hershey and Reese weren't competitors. Instead, Reese was one of Hershey's biggest customers.) Fast-forward to now: Reese's generates over $3 billion in annual sales as one of the top-selling candies in America. And for Halloween? They release shape variations (like pumpkins, ghosts, and bats) that fly off shelves faster than you can say "trick-or-treat."
π§ How Reese's Uses Buyer Psychology
Reese's doesn't just rely on their tasty peanut butter-chocolate combo to dominate Halloween. Here are some sweet and smart techniques they use to make their orange wrappers impossible for kids and adults to resist.
Trigger Events
Reese's has turned Halloween into a built-in sales trigger, even calling it "Reese's Season." For decades, they've linked their orange-wrapped cups to October with pumpkin-shaped candies and Halloween-focused ads. The result? You don't decide to buy Reese's for Halloween—your brain automatically connects the two when the haunted holiday rolls around.
That's why Halloween doesn't just remind you of any ol' candy. It reminds you of Reese's.
Walk into nearly any store in October and you'll see Reese's Pumpkins, Ghosts, and Bats taking over shelves.
But just like a ghost, they vanish as quickly as they appear—and won't return until next year. That's why you're not just buying pumpkin-shaped candy. You're buying something that won't exist in three weeks, which triggers a "get it now or regret it" response.
Plus, these limited-edition seasonal shapes taste different because of the chocolate-to-peanut-butter ratio (more peanut butter than regular cups). So customers typically buy multiples—one for trick-or-treaters, one for "backup," and one to eat right now. π
You're not gonna be the house that gives out the weird candy nobody wants. If millions of people choose Reese's, it must be the right choice. So you don't have to think about which candy to get. You just grab the orange bag with the bats on it and head to the checkout.
π€ Thinking About Your Business
Reese's went from a basement operation to a $3 billion+ brand by understanding what makes people reach for the same product year after year. But you don't have to sell sweets to use some of their ghoulishly good marketing strategies.
Ask yourself…
Q: What are the trigger events for your buyers? What moment, season, or situation could become a buying trigger for your product? A meal prep service might own "Sunday reset" rituals, while a productivity app might own Monday mornings. Find the moment when buyers need you most, then show up consistently until the connection becomes automatic. Q: Are you creating urgency without relying on discounts? Think about what you could offer for a limited time that's genuinely unique. Maybe that's a special, never-offered-before bonus; exclusive access to a service during a specific window; or a special experience that only happens once a year. The (ethical) key is making it truly unavailable outside of your chosen timeframe, not just calling it "limited" but keeping it around forever. Q: Are you removing risk from the buying decision? When potential buyers see that others have already said "yes" to you, their decision becomes 100x easier. Leverage buyer counts ("Join 10,000+ businesses who've already made the move"), bestseller badges, industry rankings, testimonials, case studies, or even simple statements like "most popular" on your product pages. Plaster your proofeverywhere like your business depends on it ('cause it does).
π₯ The Short of It
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups don't pour into millions of jack-o'-lantern buckets by accident. Reese's has trained your brain to automatically connect Halloween with their peanut butter cups. They create urgency with limited-edition shapes (and tastes!) that vanish after Halloween. And they remove all buying risk by simply being the candy everyone else is already choosing. The result? You don't even have to think about which Halloween candy to get, despite the graveyard of sugary options. You just buy Reese's. Until next time, happy selling!
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