Fewer Shoppers, Bigger Splurges: Aussies Spending Up on Father’s Day Gifts
Around 4.7 million Australians are expected to spend a combined $720 million on gifts for dads, grandads, partners and father-figures this year, down $100 million from 2024, as cost-of-living pressures continue to impact discretionary spending.
According to research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), in partnership with Roy Morgan, while overall participation in the retail event has dropped this year, many are set to spend more per person, with an average of $145 planned per gift-buyer – a jump of nearly 44% compared to 2024.
Popular gift choices this year include alcohol and food, clothing and footwear, grooming products, and tech items, along with experiences such as dinners or trips. Around 28% of Australians plan to celebrate over a meal at home (19%) in a restaurant or café (9%).
ARA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Rodwell, said while fewer people are participating, the customers who are spending are committed to making it special:
“There’s no hiding the fact we’re seeing a drop in gift giving this year. This year’s Father’s Day projections indicate around 20% of Australians expect to buy gifts compared to 36% in 2024. This tells us how real the ongoing cost-of-living pressures are for many households.
“At the same time, families who can are choosing quality over quantity this year when it comes to celebrating Dad. A quarter of gift-buyers plan to spend more than $200, and 26% say they’ll spend more than they did in 2024.
“Older Australians, in particular, continue to make Father’s Day a priority, while younger groups are tightening their spending, likely because they face the greatest mortgage and budget pressures. That’s why as we head into retail’s peak season, we are calling on the Reserve Bank of Australia to remain open to further interest rate cuts,” said Mr Rodwell.
Around 8% of Australians (1.9 million people) plan on purchasing a Father’s Day gift for a person other than their birth father this year.
Father’s Day 2025 – Most Popular Gifts
Of those planning to buy a gift (%):
- Alcohol / Food – 17%
- Clothing / Shoes / Sleepwear – 14%
- Toiletries / Grooming items – 7%
- Voucher / Gift card – 7%
- Tech items – 5%
- Car or bike gear / accessories – 4%
- Experiences (dinner, trip, outing) – 4%
- Homewares – 4%
- Sporting / Camping / Fishing gear – 4%
Father’s Day takes place on Sunday 7 September 2025.
The ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australian-wide cross-section of 2,452 Australians aged 18+ from Wednesday July 30 - Friday August 15, 2025.
Media Enquiries:
M 0434 381 670
E media@retail.org.au.
About the Australian Retailers Association (ARA)
The Australian Retailers Association is the oldest, largest and most diverse national retail body, representing a $440 billion sector employing 1.3 million Australians and the largest private sector employer in the country. As Australia’s peak retail body, representing more than 120,000 retail shops and online stores, the ARA informs, advocates, educates, protects and unifies our independent, national and international retail community. To learn more about ARA’s exclusive member benefits and more, visit retail.org.au
About Roy Morgan
Roy Morgan is Australia’s largest independent Australian research company, with offices in each state, as well as in the U.S. and U.K. A full-service research organisation, Roy Morgan has over 80 years’ experience collecting objective, independent information on consumers. To learn more visit www.roymorgan.com.
Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
| Sample Size | Percentage Estimate |
| 40% – 60% | 25% or 75% | 10% or 90% | 5% or 95% | |
| 1,000 | ±3.0 | ±2.7 | ±1.9 | ±1.3 |
| 5,000 | ±1.4 | ±1.2 | ±0.8 | ±0.6 |
| 7,500 | ±1.1 | ±1.0 | ±0.7 | ±0.5 |
| 10,000 | ±1.0 | ±0.9 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 |
| 20,000 | ±0.7 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 |
| 50,000 | ±0.4 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 | ±0.2 |
