Father’s Day spending to net £1.3bn but consumer confidence keeps retailers on the back foot

Father’s Day spending is set to reach £1.3bn in 2026, representing growth of +3 percent year-on-year according to the latest findings from retail and shopper marketing agency, Savvy. Carried out across a representative sample of 1,000 UK shoppers, the findings revealed that while spending is still expected to increase, it marked the slowest growth rate of any major calendar event so far this year, as shoppers remain cautious amid weaker consumer confidence.

Alastair Lockhart, Insight Director at Savvy, commented: “Slower sales growth reflects a significant fall in consumer confidence in recent months and the fact that Father’s Day retail activations find themselves in the shadows of World Cup activity in-store. No doubt many fathers will, however, be keen to watch a little football as part of their celebrations on the 21^st. For retailers, the World Cup could provide an unexpected boost to Father’s Day spending. With matches taking place later in the day, celebrations may extend beyond the traditional lunch occasion and into the evening, creating additional opportunities for food and drink purchases as families gather to watch the football together.”

Savvy’s findings suggest that many shoppers are focusing on celebrations at home – a trend noted across all calendar occasions this year (to include Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter), with many families put off by the rising cost of eating out. Seven in 10 (71 percent) people planning to celebrate Father’s Day said they intended to have a meal at home, with 53 percent saying they will be looking out for limited-edition or exclusive food and drink products. 51 percent intended to purchase more premium food and drink items for the occasion.

When it came to product categories, spending on clothing and cosmetics and aftershave was expected to decline compared with last year. In contrast, non-alcoholic drinks are set to be one of the strongest-performing categories, benefiting from continued innovation and growing consumer interest in the sector. Savvy’s analysis suggests that spending on alcoholic drinks and food for at-home celebrations will remain broadly flat, compared to 2025.

Gift inspiration is increasingly coming from a mix of digital and physical channels. Amazon is now the leading retail source of inspiration, used by 50 percent of shoppers planning to celebrate Father’s Day, closely followed by supermarket stores at 48 percent.

AI is also becoming part of the shopping journey. Half of shoppers (50 percent) agreed that AI makes it easier to find inspiration for Father’s Day, while 45 percent expected to use AI tools to generate gift ideas. Social media too plays an important role, with 46 percent reporting that they had already seen Father’s Day gift ideas on social platforms. 48 percent said they were likely to buy something they discovered through their social media feed. Short-form video content such as TikTok influenced 44 percent of shoppers.

As for what fathers are most likely to receive this year: cards top the list, with 50 percent planning to buy one, followed by chocolates (33 percent), clothes (28 percent) and beer (25 percent). Wine (18 percent), aftershave (16 percent), homemade gifts (16 percent) and gadgets or electrical products (14 percent) complete the most popular gift choices.

Image courtesy of Unsplash. Photo credit: Daiga Ellaby.