Staff Reports
Florida retailers expect dads to be showered with gifts, with a record-setting Father’s Day in 2017.
The Florida Retail Federation, the state’s leading trade association for the retail industry, predicts consumers will spend an average $134.75 for the holiday, up almost $10 from last year’s $125.92.
Spending nationwide is also expected to reach $15.5 billion, the highest in the survey’s 15-year history – nearly a billion more than 2016.
“I am very encouraged to see that Floridians and families across the country are planning to spend more than ever before to celebrate their dads,” said FRF President/CEO R. Scott Shalley. “These results show that Americans are feeling more and more confident and optimistic in this improving economy, and fathers and retailers can expect to benefit this Father’s Day.”
In the annual survey from the National Retail Federation, conducted by Prosper Insight and Analytics, consumers will spend $3.3 billion in 2017; 48 percent say they will take dads to outings such as dinner, brunch or other “fun activity/experiences,” clothing (46 percent) and gift cards (43 percent), making up $2.2 billion. Next most popular is consumer electronics (21 percent) at $1.8 billion.
As with Mother’s Day, greeting cards are the most common gift (64 percent), accounting for $861 million of projected spending. Other popular gifts include personal care, automotive accessories, books, music, home improvement/gardening supplies and sporting goods.
The survey found 27 percent of shoppers will give dad a “gift of experience” — concert tickets, sporting events and the like.
The category with the largest growth trend is “personal care” — cologne, razors, aftershave, etc. – showing a 20 percent increase over last year.
For the perfect gift, 40 percent of consumers will head to department stores; 34 percent will shop online; 26 percent will shop at a discount store; 24 percent at a specialty store and 19 percent at a local business.
One-third of smartphone owners will use their device to research gift ideas, but only 18 percent will use them to make a purchase. Tablets are more popular for research (32 percent) and purchases (19 percent).
More than half of those surveyed plan to buy for a father or stepfather (54 percent), others will shop for a husband (29 percent) or son (10 percent).
