Jump To a Section Below
Numbers at a Glance
- US consumers are expected to spend more than $20.1 billion on gifts.
- 75% of Americans are planning to celebrate Father’s Day.
- US men plan to spend an average of $208.84 on Father’s Day.
- The age group between 35 and 44 years will be this year’s biggest Father’s Day spenders.
- Gift buyers will look for gifts at a variety of locations, including online (40%), department stores (33%) and specialty stores (22%).
- More dads research the products they buy than moms. About 11% of moms research products compared to 24% of dads.
- 20% of dads think of themselves as either modern, fashionable, or gadget lovers.
Some 21% of dads consider themselves home organisers.
As June is fast approaching, Father’s Day is once again on the horizon. Bear in mind that June is also Pride month when all things LGBTQ+ are celebrated too -so it’s a double whammy.
It’s never too early to start planning how to celebrate a father or father figure. You can make him a special Father’s Day brunch or breakfast with his favourite dishes or even surprise him with a creative workshop or special outing.
This is a round-up of some statistics on just how much America spends for Father’s Day.
Father’s Day Stats Unpacked
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has been conducting its annual Father’s Day survey with Prosper Insights & Analytics for almost 20 years to see how Americans celebrate fathers. US consumers are expected to spend more than $20.1 billion on gifts and other items for Father’s Day this year, a record high, according to the NRF’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight & Analytics. Total spending for Father’s Day will surpass last year’s record figure of US $17 billion.
America is currently starting to show significant recovery and reopening following the pandemic, and retailers are preparing to help customers find items they want and need to mark Father’s Day and boost sales on the approach to Sunday 19 June 2022.
Some 75% of Americans from all walks of life are planning to celebrate the fathers, husbands, LGBTQ+ dads and other paternal figures in their life this Father’s Day. This figure is consistent with previous years. Of those celebrating, half (50%) plan to buy gifts for their own dad, a quarter (26%) plan to buy for a husband and 1 in 10 (11%) plan to buy for a son.
However, consumers plan to spend a little more to treat their father figures this year. According to another survey on Father’s Day expenditures, men in the US planned to spend an average of US $208.84 on Father’s Day. Almost half (47%) of the increase comes from spending more on special outings, clothing and consumer electronics, gadgets and gear.
Top Gifters
The age group between 35 and 44 years will be this year’s biggest Father’s Day spenders, which is obviously, as its the segment with the highest disposable income. They plan to spend an average of $259 on Father’s Day gifts, up $49 from last year.
The top gift shoppers plan to buy for Father’s Day are greeting cards (59%), clothing (49%), a special outing like a dinner or brunch (46%), gift cards (45%) and personal care items (28%). The number of consumers planning a special outing is back up to pre-Covid-19 levels.
Consumers and the public are starting to feel more comfortable with the pre-pandemic behaviours and activities such as going out to public places, particularly as northern America welcomes the start of summer.
Taking Dad out for a special outing or meal was not an option last year.
Gift buyers will look for gifts at a variety of locations, including online (40%), department stores (33%) and speciality stores (22%).
More And More Dads Are Home Organisers
As society changes and families are becoming more diverse and different, some interesting trends are popping up. For instance, an increasing number of dads are homemakers these days. According to The Shelf, an influencer marketing agency, almost half of men in the US are fathers, and more of those fathers are staying home with the kids.
About 46% of American men (18 years and older) are fathers. According to census numbers, there are 72 million fathers in the US and about 152 million men.
Nearly 25 million fathers are part of married-couple families while 2 million fathers were single fathers according to Fatherhood.gov.
And another sign of shifts in our society and the previously-accepted gender stereotypes, more and more dads literally bring home the bread, butter and eggs. More than half of the fathers polled say they are the primary grocery shoppers in their households.
What’s more, there are a handful of things to know about Dads who shop. More dads research the products they buy than moms. About 11% of moms research products compared to 24% of dads.
In addition, men will spend more on products if they are of better quality. While Dad may be happy to research products, men are not generally coupon clippers. That still appears to be the domain of women in the US, especially when taken to the extreme.
A good way to figure out what to get your dad may be to find out how he self-identifies. A quarter of dads consider themselves outdoor adventurers. Some 21% of dads consider themselves home organisers. 20% of dads think of themselves as either modern, fashionable, or gadget lovers.
Father’s Day Gifts
If your father is anything like the men answering polls, he doesn’t want the cufflinks. He doesn’t even want those expensive leather shoes with the tassels as a gift.
According to Entrepreneur, 37% of fathers want gift cards and 29% want electronics or a gadget of some type. Only 8% are okay with you taking the liberty to buy a gym membership, and only 7 % would be happy with a magazine subscription. Dads love gift cards so they can make their own choices in their own time.
The rule of thumb is:
- Don’t: buy Dad a tie, it’s a lazy and cheesy gift.
- Do: gift your special Dad or father figure in your life with your presence (Yes, yourself) for a cool family experience, be it a spot of fishing, a creative workshop or a yummy cooking class. Most of the dads polled (71%) would be up for a meal with the kids.
Failing that, a gift card is a great go-to gift.
Who Is Buying Father’s Day Gifts?
While half of Americans are shopping online for Father’s Day gifts, mask restrictions and the CDC setting up new rules for social distancing, in-store shopping is making a strong comeback. About one-third of shoppers will visit department stores to pick up their gifts, and 22% will head into speciality stores. Some 40% will keep their shopping online.
More than half of Father’s Day shoppers are using their phones for everything from grabbing coupons to researching products, to getting inspiration to shop for their gifts.
It’s true that 46% of women and 55% of men buy for their own fathers and stepfathers. But women are just as likely to buy for their own husbands (45%) as they are for their fathers. Both men and women also shop for sons, grandfathers, brothers, friends, godfathers, and other relatives.
A note to the gift-givers, get your orders in early to meet shipping deadlines.
One of the biggest differences between last year’s Father’s Day and last year’s is that shopping and shipping delays aren’t as big of an issue as they were in 2020 and 2021. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in shipping delays. As restrictions continue to loosen all across the US, shoppers have a little bit more flexibility this year.
But timing and future planning is always a good thing.
We referred to how families are changing and becoming more diverse. Perhaps it’s a good time to look at ways we can celebrate Father’s Day in a more inclusive manner.
Honouring Father’s Day Inclusively
Place an emphasis on all of the loving relationships a child has, instead of on a specific relationship they may not have. Any parent can talk to schools about planned Father’s Day or gendered activities, not only LGBTQ parents.
Another way to include all families is to ask shops for gender-neutral or otherwise-inclusive holiday cards. If you see some at your local store or supermarket, be sure to let them know you appreciate the inclusion.
Some schools have a gender-neutral Parents’ Day or Family Day rather than Mother’s and Father’s Day. If you’re involved with a school that chooses to celebrate Father’s Day, do what you can to be inclusive of all kinds of families.
Talk about all kinds of families. Not every family has one mom and one dad. Make it safe to celebrate any supportive relationship a child has, even if it’s not “traditional”.
Don’t let a child be alone on Father’s Day. If your school has a Father’s Day event where fathers attend, make an effort to ensure that no child is alone without a family member. Make sure someone, even if it’s a teacher, can be there to support the child.
So, make Father’s Day in 2022 a day during which we can all make a difference in how we honour dads with much-needed thanks for the sacrifices they make, and the unconditional love they give.
Remember that being a father is knowing the difference between protecting and preventing. It also means remembering we have not inherited the planet from our forefathers, but rather we are borrowing it from our children.
Nathan has always been captivated by numbers and patterns. With a Master’s degree in Statistics, he’s honed his skills to decipher complex data sets and discern market trends.
Over the past decade, Nathan has worked with various firms compiling and analyzing industry spending figures to forecast market movements.