Father´s Day Spending To Hit $9 Billion
Specialty stores, rejoice! A big portion of consumers (30.6 percent) are planning to make their 2006 Father´s Day purchases at specialty stores, including greeting card/gift stores and electronic stores, according to the National Retail Federation´s (NRF) 2006 Father´s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. That´s more than those who plan to do their Dad´s Day shopping at discount stores (29.7 percent). Another 6 percent expect to buy gifts for Pa at specialty clothing stores. Thirty-two percent plan to shop at department stores, 15 percent say they´ll shop online and 3 percent expect to rely on catalogs.
Most consumers planning to make a Father´s Day purchase (68.8 percent) will pick up a greeting card; 38.1 percent will take Pop out to eat. Thirty-two percent will buy clothes for Dad; 27 percent will let the old man decide for himself by giving gift certificates; and 22.3 percent will purchase books or CDs for dear old daddy.
The rest of gifts for Dads will be divided thus: 15 percent of buyers will purchase consumer electronics or computer-related accessories; 11.2 percent will buy tools or appliances; 10.9 percent will spring for home improvements or gardening tools; and 9.1 percent will select sporting goods or leisure items. That leaves 19.4 percent who say they´ll buy something the NRF puts in a category called "other."
Here´s how all that spending will ring up on the cash register:
Special outing such as dinner — $1.71 billion (Dust off your Father´s Day Special ads.)
Clothing — $1.26 billion (Stock a lot of neckties.)
Consumer electronics or computer-related accessories — $1.2 billion (Push your gadgets.)
Gift certificates — $1.07 billion (Order or print out more gift certificates.)
Other — $792 million (Make in-store suggestions as to items that might make perfect Father´s Day gifts.)
Greeting cards — $756 million (Move your greeting card racks to the front of the store.)
Home improvements or gardening tools — $734 million (Put ribbons on your shovels.)
Tools or appliances — $551 million (Redo your window with a tool display. Ditto for your home page if you´re an online retailer.)
Sporting goods or leisure items — $437 million (Dust them off, move them front and center.)
The average Father´s Day shopper is expected to spend $88.80 on Pop, compared to the $122.16 spent on Mom for Mother´s Day. Still, Father´s Day spending overall is expected to hit $9 billion, up from last year´s $8.2 billion.
Women will be the top spenders for Father´s Day, coming in at $90.41 per person, compared with men, who will spend $87.07 on Dad this year.
Let the buying begin. Father´s Day is June 18.
Later this week: Digital signage
