Retailers Don’t Forget Dad
Despite NRF (National Retail Federation) predictions of reduced spending related to the Father’s Day holiday this year, retailers are still running promotions aimed at children of all ages seeking to remember their fathers.
According to the NRF’s 2009 Father’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, Americans ages 18 and up are expected to spend an average of $90.89 on gifts for dad, down 3.8% from $94.54 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $9.4 billion, down 2% from $9.6 billion in 2008.
In a pattern similar to that displayed by retailers running promotions for Mother’s Day last month despite predictions of lower spending, retailers are still actively pursuing Father’s Day shoppers. Arts and crafts specialty retailer Michael’s is running special gift-making events in stores and online. These include an in-store event where kids can make free greeting cards on June 6, and an in-store event where kids can decorate $2.50 T-shirts for free on June 14. Michaels is also running special online promotions at michaels.com/fathersday. The retailer ran similar special events and promotions for Mother’s Day earlier this year.
Sporting goods retailer Foot Locker is running a campaign offering advice on how to select the right footwear gift. The campaign divides fathers into four types of dad, including “Entry Level Dad” and “J.V. Dad,” with recommended brands and styles of footwear for each type.
Offers.com, an online aggregator of special retail deals and offers, has an entire page dedicated to Father’s Day gifts under $50 from its retail partners. These include gift sets from The History Channel, discount golf cards, and restaurant coupons. And The Weber Grill, a regional restaurant chain based in Chicago, IL, is offering a Father’s Day special that includes a three-course meal, $10 discount card good for any return visit, and free bottle of barbecue sauce.
Most of these special offers reflect NRF survey results on what type of gifts consumers will spend the most money this Father’s Day. According to the survey, they will spend the most money, $1.9 billion, on a special outing such as dinner or a sporting event. Consumers will also spend $1.3 billion on apparel, $1.2 billion on gift cards, $1 billion on electronics, $548 million on books and CDs, $522 million on home improvement items, and $502 million on sporting goods.
The NRF 2009 Father’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey of 8,447 consumers was conducted from May 5-12, 2009. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1%.