🎃 How Pumpkin Spice Took Over the Internet (Again)

It happens every year. The heat is still hanging on, iced coffee season is in full swing—and suddenly, pumpkin spice sneaks back into everyone’s feeds.

Coffee shops start teasing their fall menus.
Candle brands drop “limited-edition” scents.
And Google searches? They quietly explode.

So we followed the digital trail — using Google Trends data — to see where the pumpkin-spice wave actually begins, and which categories ride it the hardest.

Page 1: Where the Season Starts — Online

Our analysis shows a clear leader:
Home & Garden is the #1 category where people search for “pumpkin spice.”

After that come Hobbies & Leisure, Shopping, Beauty & Fitness, and Business & Industrial.

But here’s the surprise — the trend doesn’t wait for fall.

Search interest starts rising in late July, long before anyone’s trading swimsuits for sweaters.
It peaks in September and October, then gently fades by late November.

It’s as if the internet collectively decides:

“It might still be summer outside, but inside — it’s pumpkin spice season.”

The digital world doesn’t just reflect fall; it declares it.

Page 2: Home Is Where the Spice Is

Since Home & Garden consistently dominates, we zoomed in — and found that pumpkin spice isn’t just something people drink. It’s something they live with.

Three sub-categories drive most of the search traffic:

  1. Home Appliances → espresso machines, coffee makers, and anything caffeine-related

  2. Homemaking & Interior DĂ©cor → candles, diffusers, and fall-scented home essentials

  3. Kitchen & Dining → recipes, mugs, and (of course) Starbucks

Together, they form the heart of the pumpkin-spice lifestyle — caffeine, comfort, and cozy vibes.

The Pumpkin-Spice Triangle

When we compared the most popular search terms within each sub-category, three clear standouts emerged:

  • Pumpkin Spice K-Cups (Home Appliances)

  • Pumpkin Spice Candle (Home DĂ©cor)

  • Starbucks Pumpkin Spice (Kitchen & Dining)

And the result?

No contest — Starbucks pumpkin spice outperformed the others.

Even outside its cafés, Starbucks sets the rhythm for the entire pumpkin-spice economy.
When their latte returns, searches for candles, diffusers, and K-Cups all rise together. That’s not coincidence — that’s cultural gravity.

What the Data Really Shows

The pumpkin-spice season begins in late July, long before fall weather arrives.

  • Home & Garden drives the most engagement, showing that pumpkin spice has evolved from a flavor to a home aesthetic.

  • Starbucks remains the anchor brand, setting the pace for both digital curiosity and consumer behavior.

Pumpkin spice isn’t just a flavor — it’s a signal.
It tells us when summer’s winding down, when candles start burning, and when coffee shops set the mood for fall.

Every year, this simple search term captures something bigger: how data can reveal our collective rhythm — our anticipation, habits, and emotions — all mapped in Google Trends curves.

At Vertical Circle, we turn those patterns into purpose.
From seasonal behavior shifts to year-round performance dashboards, we help brands see what their data is really saying — and act on it.

Because when you understand your data, every season becomes an opportunity.

Khanh Kieu