ANZ forecasts $611 million retail surge this Father’s Day

ANZ is forecasting a significant retail uplift this Father’s Day weekend, with customer spending expected to reach $611 million – a 3.45% increase on last year’s spending.

The bank’s latest data shows Australians embrace both experiences and gifts to celebrate dads and father figures, with strong growth anticipated across categories including dining out, wineries, clothing and accessories expected in 2025. 

In 2024, popular spend categories included cafes and restaurants, wineries and bottle shops, clothing, camping, sports, and music. Other areas that saw notable uplift include motor vehicles and accessories, health-related services, welfare and charitable donations, and memberships. 

ANZ Acting Managing Director of Retail Products, Yiken Yang, said: “Father’s Day continues to be a powerful moment of connection for Australians, with spending trends reflecting a desire to celebrate through both meaningful experiences and thoughtful gifts. 

“Over the Father’s Day weekend, ANZ customers embrace everything from dining out to charitable giving to honour the father figures in their lives. We expect many dads to be spoiled with a nice dinner, some new socks, or a brand-new vinyl for his record player this year.”

In 2024, women outspent men on Father’s Day, particularly in categories such as food, camping, music, and stationery. Gen X led overall spending, followed by millennials, while Gen Z recorded the highest year-on-year growth at 22%.

Victoria led as the highest spenders, with an additional $9.1 million spent compared to a regular weekend, while South Australia saw the greatest uplift at 6.3%. Every state and territory recorded a per capita increase of over 35%.

Spending patterns also revealed key differences between Father’s Day and Mother’s Day: motor vehicles and computers saw higher spending for Father’s Day, while health and beauty dominate Mother’s Day. Interestingly, women tend to spend more on Father’s Day, while men spend more on Mother’s Day.

2024 SPEND DATA & TRENDS – ANZ CUSTOMER CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD DATA

• In 2024, total spend increased by 6.7%, reaching $591 million during Father’s Day weekend compared to the previous year (2023).

• Per capita, every state spent over 35% more during the Father’s Day weekend, compared to a normal weekend. 

• Victorians are the biggest spenders, spending the most during the Father’s Day weekend ($165m).

• Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, had the largest year-on-year increase in spend with 8.8%, 8.1% and 7.5% respectively.

• The Northern Territory had the highest spend per capita, $267, with a year-on-year increase of 4.1%.

• In 2024, women spent more than men on Father’s Day, with a 4.32% year-on-year increase.

• ANZ customers who celebrate Father’s Day dining out prefer to go out for dinner more than lunch, with the peak spending hours occurring between 5 and 7pm. 

• People spent slightly more on Saturday (56% of the overall spend) than on Sunday during Father’s Day weekend, possibly due to last minute preparation for the Sunday event.

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