United Kingdom (UK) Father’s Day Market Analysis, Trends, Consumer Attitudes, Buying Dynamics and Key Players, 2023 Update

UK Father’s Day Market Report Overview

Experience gifts continue to rise in popularity for Father’s Day occasions in the UK. The proportion of consumers that stated they financed their Father’s Day and Mother’s Day spending using Buy Now Pay Later options. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) finance options were more popular for Father’s Day 2023 than they were for Mother’s Day this year, with more than 9% of shoppers using this payment option to finance their spending on this occasion. Less affluent consumers preferred to spread the cost of their purchases, without the financial burden of an upfront cost.

The United Kingdom (UK) Father’s Day retail occasions report offers a comprehensive insight into the consumer dynamics and spending habits of British consumers for Father’s Day. The report analyses the market, the major players, the main trends, and consumer attitudes.

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The UK Father’s Day Market: Key Findings

• Father’s Day participation and penetration, including retail and leisure, fell short of Mother’s Day. Although, both are regaining post the pandemic, Mother’s Day has once again proven more resilient.
• Despite most shoppers disagreeing that they would rather send a card over a present, this translated to a few consumers who reported buying a gift for Father’s Day, a discrepancy suggesting that consumers find difficulty in selecting a gift for fathers who may be less clear about their wish lists.
• Many consumers are struggling to shop for gifts for Father’s Day, and most of the consumers agree that retailers do not offer inspiring/imaginative Father’s Day gift ranges. In contrast, this struggle was not observed on Mother’s Day 2023 as most consumers disagreed that retailers do not do enough to provide gift inspiration for Mother’s Day.
• While retailers provide sufficient gift inspiration for consumers shopping for Mother’s Day, retailers need to do more to inspire gift ideas for fathers who give less direction regarding presents.

Key Segments in the UK Father’s Day Market

The key segments of the UK Father’s Day market are food & drink, gifts, and cards & gift wrap.

UK Father’s Day Market - Food & Drink

This segment is further divided into treats, meat & meat alternatives, alcoholic drinks, fruit & vegetables, breakfast foods, non-alcoholic drinks, fish, delicatessen products, bakery, deserts & puddings, and ready meals & meal deals. Tesco was the most preferred retailer for purchasing food & drink items. The top preferred stores for purchasing food & drink items were supermarkets and convenience store retailers. Moreover, the most preferred device for purchasing food & drink items was mobile followed by tablets and laptops/desktops.

UK Father’s Day Market - Gifts

This segment is further divided into fine jewelry & watches, food & drink gifts, clothing, accessories & footwear, grooming & personal care, homewares, and books among others. Tesco was the most preferred retailer for purchasing gifts followed by Amazon and ASDA. Supermarkets were the most preferred store type for purchasing gifts followed by department stores. Moreover, the most preferred device for purchasing gifts was the mobile followed by laptops/desktops and tablets.

UK Father’s Day Market - Cards & Gift Wrap

This segment is further divided into cards and gift wrap & accessories. Card Factory was the most preferred retailer for purchasing cards & gift wrap followed by Tesco and ASDA. Supermarkets were the most preferred store type for purchasing cards & gift wrap followed by general merchandisers. Furthermore, devices like mobile, laptops/desktops, and tablets were used for purchasing them.

The UK Father’s Day Market Analysis by Segments, 2023 (%)

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Segments Covered in the Report

UK Father’s Day Market Segments Outlook (2023)

• Food & Drink
• Gifts
• Cards & Gift Wrap

Key Highlights

Despite Father’s Day penetration and participation resurged last year post-Covid, it has fallen again due to the cost-of-living crisis as the majority of shoppers feel financially worse off this year.

Experience gifts continue to rise in popularity, but otherwise consumers look for more differentiated gift ranges for male recipients as customers value markedly different gifts for Father’s Day compared to for Mother’s Day.

Many consumers are struggling to shop for gifts for Father’s day, so prioritising an inspiring display of gifting options is crucial, such as Tesco, who ranked highest among consumers for its Father’s Day display, range, price and quality.

Reasons to Buy

• Use our in-depth consumer insight to learn which areas within Father’s Day shopping are most important to ensure that product offers cater to the needs and wants of customers.
• Understand what drives consumers to use a retailer for their purchases, such as convenience, value for money, and delivery options in order to maximize sales potential.
• Discover which retailers are perceived as having the best Father’s Day communications, to develop engaging marketing campaigns.
• See which gifting products have been growing in popularity to optimize marketing campaigns.
• Understand how consumers feel about personalized products instore and online to optimize services and convert customers