Father’s Day Gift Statistics – What Should You Get For Dad?

Find out how much we are spending on our Dads for Father's Day with these latest statistics and trends.

We all need a strong and dependable father figure in our lives to help guide us, protect us, and be a good role model.

So if you're lucky enough to be blessed with an amazing Dad then don't be shy in letting him know.

Because Father's Day is a great time to show your appreciation and tell him how much you love him.

And you can do this by spending quality time together, taking him out for dinner, beers, or to a sports game, or by giving him a nice gift that he'll get plenty of enjoyment from.

However, deciding what to get for your old man can be confusing.

So we thought we'd take a look at the latest Father's Day gift statistics to see just what others are buying for their Dads and how much it's costing.

And to do this we analysed surveys from the following retail companies as well as other reports and studies to get an idea of the general Father's Day shopping trends:

Father's Day Highlights

Before we go into more detail on what was in the various surveys, here's a Father's Day gift statistics infographic featuring the key findings.

How Much Are We Spending For Father's Day?

The total expected Father's Day spending in the United States in 2020 was $17 billion, with the average American planning to spend $148.58 per person (National Retail Federation). 

This has been steadily increasing over the years, rising by almost $10 from the previous year ($138.97) and showing a 57.5% increase from the 2010 average spend of $94.32.

However, it's still nowhere near as much as we spend on Mother's Day, with the total expected spend on Moms in 2020 being $26.7 billion, with an average spend of $204.74 (National Retail Federation).

But coming back to Father's Day, men were expecting to spend more ($180.68) on their Dads than women ($118.09) (National Retail Federation).

While the highest spenders were in the 35-44 age group, with an average spend of $209.70 (National Retail Federation).

And the greeting cards industry does well on Father's Day too, with 59% of us planning to buy a card for the old man this year at an average spend of $7.18 (National Retail Federation).

Which works out at a whopping $820 million. Kerching!

What Are The Most Popular Father's Day Gifts?

It can be hard to know what to get your Dad for Father's Day each year, so let's take a look at what Americans were most commonly expecting to buy in 2020 according to the Father's Day survey from the National Retail Federation.

So clothing was the most popular choice of Father's Day gift item, which is probably no surprise seeing the amount of ties, belts, socks and slippers that Dads tend to get each year!

But gift cards in second place were a great option too, with a total of $2.38 billion expected to be spent on them for Father's Day.

However, these gift categories weren't the only options, as 22% were thinking about giving their Father a gift of an experience instead of a physical gift (National Retail Federation).

While 36% were interested in getting them a subscription box for Father's Day (National Retail Federation).

And given the global pandemic in 2020, 58% of people thought it was likely they'd have to celebrate Father's Day with their Dad virtually over platforms such as Skype and Zoom instead of in person this year (National Retail Federation).

What's Important In Our Choice Of Gift?

When asked what the most important thing is when picking out a Father's Day gift, 41% of people said they wanted to get something that was unique or different (National Retail Federation).

While 36% wanted to find a gift that would create a special memory, which is maybe why special outings are such a popular gift choice.

Then there were the 26% of people that wanted to find a gift that was convenient for them and the 18% who wanted to keep the costs low, while 11% stated a different reason.

Girls really love their Daddies and it was more important for women to get their Dad's something memorable than it was for men (40% compared to 32%) (National Retail Federaton).

While men had a bigger preference for their own convenience when buying a Father's Day gift (31% compared to only 21% of women).

And these convenience shoppers would have contributed to the large number of online shoppers on Father's Day 2020, with 37% of people planning to buy their Father's Day gifts online (Fortune).

What Do Dads Really Want For Father's Day?

So we now know what people are buying for their Dads on Father's Day, but are they making the right choices?

Let's take a look at what the Dads are saying.

According to the Father's Day survey from RetailMeNot, the most wanted gift among Dads were gift cards, with 40% hoping for one for Father's Day 2020.

This was followed by being treated to a meal, either by being taken out to a restaurant (32%) or with nice food to eat at home (27%).

Clothes were the next choice, with 27% of Dads wanting a clothing gift (although I'm sure most of them have had enough of new ties for Father's Day!).

While 18% said they'd be happy to receive alcohol, so a nice bottle of wine, whiskey, or some beers is a decent option.

17% of Dads were after an electronical gadget, and the same number said they wanted some chocolate.

And finally, 13% said they'd prefer an experience gift rather than a physical gift for Father's Day. 

Rounding Up