How online shoppers are set to buy this Father’s Day

In the lead up to Father’s Day, on Sunday June 15, Rakuten Marketing has analysed its data from previous years to help inform new retail approaches.

It’s an exercise worth taking, it pointed out, since last year’s Father’s Day sales topped £200m, according to Mintel.

The company looked at the data generated by the 400 online retailers that it works with over Father’s Day 2012 and 2013 to find out how shoppers are now buying for the event.

Starting early

Sales typically started to rise three weeks before Father’s Day before peaking in the week running up to the date. That, suggests Rakuten, means retailers can start to promote gifts effectively as early as May, for the June event.

Spending more

Data found that shoppers are buying more for Father’s Day. Same-store sales around the date rose by 54% in 2013, which itself was 69% up on 2012. At the same time average order values rose in 2013 by 7%. That suggests, says Rakuten, that retailers might market a wider range of gifts, including some that are more expensive.

Vouchers

Some 23% of 2013 Father’s Day sales that took place through the Rakuten Marketing network involved a voucher site as bargainhunters looked to spend less, while loyalty publishers took 17% of sales, followed by blogs and shoppable content sites (10%) and price comparison websites (7%).

Tablets

PCs were the shopping device of choice last Father’s Day, but those shoppers using tablets were more likely to convert from browsers to buyers. Some 3% of desktop shoppers who used a desktop computer to click on an ad from a Rakuten Marketing network members went on to buy, compared to 5% through tablets. Sales through tablets, at the same time, rose by 101%, year-on-year, and accounted for 16% of Father’s Day gifts.

“Increasingly people are shopping for dads on tablet devices,” said Mark Haviland, managing director, Rakuten Marketing Europe. This is a cue for retailers to ensure that their site is mobile-responsive and their apps are transactional where possible. By marketing through content rich and mobile-optimised shopping sites, retailers can ensure they are offering consumers a complete multichannel brand experience whilst harnessing the £200 million opportunity Father’s Day offers.”