Father’s Day, on June 20, is a time for celebrating dads and, with more to be grateful for than ever, it’s essential that customers get their gift buying right.
As we begin to emerge from the pandemic it’s time to thank dads for all they’ve done over the last year – whether that’s home schooling, fixing up the backyard or just entertaining us with ‘Dad Dancing’ and ‘Dad jokes’.
But finding the perfect present can be tricky, how can customers find gifts that mean more than just a last-minute pair of socks? Using real-time social proof messaging retailers can help guide customers to the hottest new products and most popular trending items that will ensure their dads really do feel the love.
Seventy-five percent of Americans plan to celebrate and are predicted to spend $20.1 billion in 2021 up from $17 billion in 2020, an average of $174.10 each, on their dads for Father’s Day, according to figures from the National Retail Federation. That’s a big spend to capture, however it’s still dwarfed by the $28.1 billion expected to have been lavished on moms for Mother’s Day in 2021.
Special outings topped the category spend last year, at $2.8 billion, although that had slumped from $3.34 billion the year before, according to the NRF figures. Clothing ($2.58 billion), giftcards ($2.38 billion) and electronics ($1.98 billion) came next with relatively modest growth.
For 2021, personal care, home and gardening, tools and appliances are predicted to be popular choices, with 40% of those surveyed indicating they intend to buy online.
Sporting goods grew dramatically in 2020 after a static few years and may well see continued growth this year as dad’s shake off those lockdown pounds and getting fighting fit.
But what to choose within those categories? Shoppers want to say thank you with something that’s unique or different (45%) or helps create a special memory (35%). But if they are buying in a specialist category – cycling for instance – then they may need help in differentiating their cleats from their bib shorts (a painful thing to get wrong), as well as understanding how other customers like them have rated such products for quality or value for money
Real-time social proof messaging can help customers in all those instances, as well as prompting them to make their buying decisions early enough to ensure that hot new product is still in stock, for instance through messaging that shows how many people have bought the same item since they looked at it an hour ago.
Retailers have a golden opportunity to help better inspire their customers to choose an extra special gift for dads in 2021. Capturing customer attention online, showing them what is popular, trending – or even just available right now – will make presenting dads with the perfect gift easier than ever. Even if it is a novelty pair of socks!
