Father’s Day spending reaches £1.1bn, but shoppers left uninspired by ranges

The findings from Savvy’s latest research (representative sample of 1,004 UK shoppers) showed cards, clothing and decorations all outperformed. Warm weather also boosted sales of non-alcoholic drinks for the event.  Cards were the most popular gift, bought by 64% of those celebrating. This was followed by chocolates (33%) and clothing (24%).

With budgets under pressure, the majority of those getting involved opted to have a meal at home to celebrate the occasion (69%) and less than half reported trading up to more expensive ranges.

As we’ve seen across all retail events this year, shoppers found gift buying uninspiring, with 67% of those celebrating saying ranges are boring. 57% claimed they would spend more on Father’s Day if there were better gifts available.

Two-thirds said they wanted to buy gifts from smaller or local retailers and 55% reports wanting to buy sustainable gifts for their Dads. 50% set out to buy a personalised gift.

Alastair Lockhart, Insight Director at Savvy commented, “We continue to see a growing proportion of shoppers left uninspired when shopping for Father’s Day presents, especially younger buyers. While the supermarket has traditionally dominated this market, shoppers aged under 35 are increasingly turning towards online retailers and social media for ideas and inspiration. Consider that 48% of 18-24s looked to Instagram for inspiration, and Tik Tok was slightly behind on 45%. This shift is only going to accelerate.”

If you’d like to read Savvy’s full Father’s Day review or to learn more about how we help brands deliver best-in-class calendar event activations, get in touch.