Consumers are ready to up their spending for Father’s Day swag — are you positioning your business to cash in?
Gardening is big business this spring — and Father’s Day has the potential to break out big, as well. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), consumers are aiming to spend more than $20.1 billion on Father’s Day, surpassing last year’s record-breaking figure of $17 billion.
On average, consumers are budgeting $174 for dad’s special gifts, up $26 over last year’s sales. Outlets that will be earning those sales? Online holds the top category, accounting for 40 percent of purchases, followed by department stores (33 percent) and specialty stores (22 percent). The online shopping figure is down slightly from 2020, likely reflecting consumers’ current focus on supporting local businesses and the gradual reopening of retail locations.
Online Father’s Day-related searches started in February, spurring some online retailers to go all in on Father’s Day, expanding their offerings in anticipation of robust demand. For instance, the curated online marketplace notonthehighstreet.com increased inventory in Father’s Day lines, adding 91 percent more products.
What kinds of gifts are consumers planning to buy for dear old dad? The NRF breaks them out along these lines:
- greeting cards — 59 percent
- clothing — 49 percent
- special outing (dinner or brunch) — 46 percent
- gift cards — 45 percent
- personal care items — 28 percent
- books/CDs — 26 percent
- electronics — 25 percent
- gardening tools — 24 percent
Making the Most of Dad’s Big Day
Tapping into Father’s Day market demand may not hit the highs of a major floral holiday, but it can bring in business, especially in this post-pandemic marketplace. At Michler’s Florist, Greenhouses & Garden Design in Lexington, Kentucky, dad’s big day comes in as a “smaller holiday,” says Robin Michler, general manager. “It’s a busy weekend, but it’s not on holiday level. We add an extra delivery driver.”
Michler’s website features their own original products. “For Father’s Day, our collection has roughly 50 percent plants, 40 percent flower arrangements and 10 percent alcohol — gift boxes with wine or Kentucky bourbon,” Michler explains. “Those figures also probably represent pretty closely how the sales go.”
To promote Father’s Day, Michler’s sends an email to clients, which ties in with other things happening at the garden center. Most of the click-throughs on the Father’s Day email are related to Michler’s Kentucky Native Café. “That’s the most popular part of the business on Father’s Day — it’s always busy that weekend. People might be having a drink with their parents, or a family is going out to eat,” Michler says.
“We do have some synergy with the café. Anytime we have spikes in traffic to the café, we see a large uptick in smaller plant purchases. They come to eat, they browse the greenhouses and pick up a plant or two.” For 2021, Michler anticipates a strong Father’s Day weekend. “We are, like everyone else, record busy,” Michler says. “Basically both sides of the business — florist and garden center — are running at 130 percent.”
Finding the Niche for Your Shop
Madeline’s Flower Shop in Edmond, Oklahoma, is a third-generation florist, serving the community for over 60 years. According to owner Barbara Bilke, “Father’s Day is a hard one for us,” she says. “We think about it all the time — how to make it bigger and more popular. We do have people who call and want something, normally in the plants area.”
Bilke sees capitalizing on the current popularity of indoor plants as one way to satisfy customers looking for dad-related gifts. “If someone is a plant lover, that’s an easy sell,” she says. What do most fathers like, when it comes to plants? “In our market, men tend toward succulents, cacti and anthuriums. They definitely do not gravitate toward an azalea or fern, plants that I would say are more frilly or dainty.”
Although Madeline’s has not cracked the code to make Father’s Day sales on par with other holidays, Bilke remains intent on doing so. “I think it’s a good market if you can find the right fit for your business,” she adds. “Through the pandemic we had to figure out how best to reach and service people. Finding the answer for Father’s Day isn’t any different. We just need to be creative, setting our minds on the holiday and figuring it out.”
Julie Martens Forney is a contributing writer to Floral Management.
