4 ways the pandemic will drastically change how families celebrate Halloween this year

With traditional trick-or-treating plans undone for many families, parents will have to get creative.Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

• Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Halloween will be quite different in 2020.
• Market intelligence firm Numerator found that 73% of shoppers expect to celebrate Halloween differently compared to previous years.
• From surging candy sales to contact-free trick-or-treating, here are all the important trends to look out for as All Hallows' Eve approaches.

Halloween is supposed to be the scariest holiday on the calendar in the US, filled with both ghostly frights and sweet trick-or-treating delights. But 2020 is not like most years. The coronavirus pandemic is still wreaking havoc across the country, meaning that fears over new outbreaks will likely dampen many traditional Halloween activities this year.

And consumers are taking notice, while planning accordingly. A survey from market intelligence firm Numerator found that 73% of respondents "expect their Halloween celebrations to be different this year."

What exactly will Halloween look like during a global pandemic? Here are a few trends to watch out for: