Consumers want to show dad he's the greatest this Father's Day with a wide variety of gifts and celebrations, according to the findings of a new National Retail Federation (NRF) survey. The NRF 2003 Father's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch for NRF, found that 71.7 percent of Americans plan to celebrate Father's Day. Those who will celebrate plan to spend an average of $99.65. By comparison, the average consumer spent $97.37 this year on Mother's Day. In the three years the survey has been conducted, this is the first time consumers planned to spend more on Father's Day than Mother's Day.
Father's Day sales in 2003 will be up slightly from 2002, when the average consumer spent $94.80. However, in 2001, the first year of the Father's Day survey, the average consumer planned to spend just $52.30.
From dinner to DVDs and from ties to tools, dads can expect a wide range of gifts this Father's Day. This year, 20.2 percent of consumers plan to give their dad clothing, while nearly 15.0 percent plan to give him home improvement or gardening tools or appliances. Additionally, 13.9 percent plan will give dad a gift certificate and 12.4 percent will buy books or CDs. Many consumers also plan to take their fathers out to eat (22.5%) and get him a card (44.9%).
"Dads are notoriously hard to shop for, but this year consumers are going out of their way to find their fathers a gift that shows how much he means to them," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. "Consumers are continuing to demonstrate that, despite their caution, they'll spend their hard-earned money on what's most important to them--and no one wants to skimp on dad."
The study also found that women will spend more money than men on the holiday, with the average woman planning to spend $101.38, compared to men, who will spend an average of $70.89. (Many women will be purchasing gifts for both fathers and husbands.) Consumers aged 25-44 lead Father's Day spending, with the average person in that age group planning to spend over $130 on the holiday.
"Moms get a variety of gifts on Mother's Day--they get cards, flowers, dinner, and a piece of jewellery or clothing," said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy for BIGresearch. "Dads are completely different. Though dad is less likely to get a greeting card or dinner out, consumers make up for the difference by getting dad one great big gift."
Discounters should see enhanced sales this holiday, with 35.9 percent of consumers planning to purchase Father's Day gifts from a discount retailer. Additionally, 30.1 percent of consumers plan to spend at a department store and 24.5 percent will spend at a specialty retailer. Also, 12.0 percent plan to shop for their Father's Day gift online.
About the Survey
The NRF 2003 Father's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the Father's Day holiday. The survey was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch. The poll of 8,048 consumers was conducted from May 8-14. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.
BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch's syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the world's largest retail trade association with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet and independent stores. NRF members represent an industry that encompasses more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments employs more than 23 million people-about 1 in 5 American workers-and registered 2002 sales of $3.6 trillion. NRF's international members operate stores in more than 50 nations. In its role as the retail industry's umbrella group, NRF also represents 32 national and 50 state associations in the U.S. as well as 36 international associations representing retailers abroad.
Note to media: For complete demographic breakouts including spending by age, gender and region of the country, contact Ellen Tolley at (202) 626-8189 or by email at tolleye@nrf.com
