15 Brilliant Father's Day Marketing Ideas For eCommerce

75% of Americans celebrate Father’s Day (and in a big way).

Given the emotional appeal of the occasion, this is one of those days in eCommerce when budget is not a concern aka it’s a big opportunity for you to run aspirational campaigns and encourage higher-value sales.

We mean, the average customer spending on Father’s Day is $171.

And if you have a clothing or electronics brand, we've got good news for you.

Below, we’ve outlined ways for you to drive this AOV for your eCommerce business and bank on popular marketing tactics for Father’s Day. There are also lots of fun eCommerce numbers that will help you understand customer behavior.

1. Add a touch of “personalization” to your gifts

Personalized products make for great gifts since they build stronger personal connections. Misc. and Co. offers personalized slim wallets as part of their Father’s Day marketing campaign.

Few ideas that you can consider are:

• Talk about personalized gifts in the first fold of your website
• Put a label on products saying – customizable
• Talk about these customizations on the product pages
• Offer gift wrap option on the checkout page
• Offer a personalized gift card with every purchase

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2. Provide a solution to an alarming problem 

Ring offers a solution to an alarming problem—the security of senior citizens in America. It projects its security devices as a solution to an agonizing problem with the crime rate against elderly people rising by 53%. 

A thoughtful Father’s Day gift for everyone out there. 

To demonstrate the same: 

• Communicate empathy in your copy by telling them you have their back 
• Use the Barnum Effect—the tendency to believe generalized information to be an accurate description of themselves 
• Use anchoring bias, the tendency to make decisions based on the first piece of information presented

3. Use imagery to increase the perceived value 

Imagery is a literary device that helps customers visualize the benefits of a product. It is directed toward the user’s sense of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. 

Onsen uses imagery in its copy to increase the perceived value of its towels. 

Here’s how you can bring imagery into your Father’s Day marketing ideas: 

• Use the Problem-Agitation-Solution framework. Define the problem, its negative impact, and your solution 
• Try the Before-After-Bridge. Describe the current problem(Before), the situation after its solved(After), and your solution(Bridge) 
• Use the cause and relationship principle to demonstrate one event(cause) is the reason for the other(effect) 

4. Use intent to get more traffic

As you can see in the Google Trends below, customer interest begins to rise as early as May.

Do you know what they’re looking for?

Stuff like:

When is Father’s Day?

Should I buy a Father’s Day gift?

What to buy hubby for Father’s Day?

How can I surprise my dad on Father’s Day?

What should I gift my father on Father’s Day?

What is the most popular gift on Father's Day?

This goes to show a few different things:

• Customers want to surprise their fathers.
• They want to see lists with ideas: gifts, experiences, and even greetings.
• They’re not only buying for fathers, but also step-fathers, husbands, and even grandparents.

Here’s what you can do:

Place ads on supplementary keywords like—

• when is fathers day, 
• what can I do on father's day, 
• how can I surprise my dad on father’s day, 
• gift cards for fathers day, and 
• how to celebrate father’s day 

—that show intent but aren’t as commercial as, for example, ‘simple father’s day gift ideas’.

You can also curate product collections and guides to target segmented keywords like gifts for dad who wants nothing. Strong intent, fair traffic, and low competition.

Along with this, you may want to look at organically including the questions above into your blogs, product pages, and even store policies.

Chances are Google will pick up on your answers and show your product pages at a higher ranking of SERP.

5. Channel your email sequences across the month

53% of customers begin to buy gifts as much as a month in advance. Work with them. Set up your email sequences to reflect their interest.

When interest begins to peak (around May 19), send invites into an exclusive invite-only early access event. This could be for a sale, a product launch, or even a giveaway.

Through the first 10 days of June, build inspiration for Father’s Day with gift ideas, moodboards, and suggestions to celebrate the day. Treat this as the Consideration stage, if you will.

Reserve the time between June 12 and June 15 to convince customers to buy. Share product bundles and gift guides, and early notices on any sales you may be having.

The time between June 15 and June 18 is when most sales happen. Run Limited Time Offers that encourage early purchases and save everyone the trouble of a last-minute spree.

However, also account for last-minute shoppers. On June 18, launch a 24 hour sale on something you can ship/offer on the same day (can also be a gift card).

6. Send not-boring last-minute reminders

Last-minute stress is real: be there for your customers with an advanced reminder. Help them ensure that they get an order with enough time for them to enjoy the day.

You may want to send such emails twice.

1. A week in advance

2. A day in advance

Above all else, remember to keep the copy fun and memorable.

• Keep headlines between 2 to 26 characters & limit the body text
• Use humor to bring depth, but use it sparingly so it holds impact
• Bring in numbers in key places (they're known to attract attention)
• Remember copy isn't just text. Use imagery to play with your words
• Get inspiration from these 23 examples from the US

We the copy in his Harry's email. See how the headline immediately draws attention? Extra points for the wordplay!

7. Get creative with email subject lines

Fun Fact: personalized Father’s Day emails have 26% more open rates and a 14% CTR.

While most people prefer keeping copy simple and generalized with stuff like—

• Father’s Day is Here
• Father’s Day Done Right
• Top Gifts for Father’s Day

—making the subject lines you may want to go one step further and customize them for segmented audiences.

Psst…according to a source, this has the potential to drive 750% ROI! 

Target subject lines to:

• Dad jokes
• The types of dads
• Dads who “want nothing”
• Different experiences dads like
• Stuff dads are known to say, like in the example below

8. Embrace social commerce

eCommerce is slowly but surely embracing social commerce and Father’s Day is a great opportunity to utilize the shift.

Two popular avenues are Instagram Shop & Facebook Marketplace.

Here’s what works:

• Promote Father’s Day sales through ads + link them to the Shopify integration.
• Create “Shop the Look” content with influencers and other partners.
• Build guides to showcase different Father’s Day collections.
• Run targeted ads for featured products with Lookalike Audiences.
• Enable easy filtering & quick checkout on product pages.
• Integrate Shopify with platforms like TikTok & Pinterest.

BTW Average conversion rate for Facebook? 1.85%

Here’s a good breakdown on how to create high-converting Facebook ads.

Plus, this is super easy to run.

Get the full guide here: 10 eCommerce brands winning at Social Commerce (+ Lessons we can learn from them)

Here’s a cool campaign from OREO to inspire your social media concepts. See how it’s witty enough that people actually want to share it? Add the giveaway appeal and you’ve bagged a winner.

9. Tap into emotive messaging

For a Father’s Day landing page to stand out, it should have three things:

Emotion

Excitement

Encouragement

See how the example below has all three?

ALDO builds emotion by ‘celebrating Dad’s individuality’.

They use exciting copy by labeling fathers as ‘The Classic Prepster’, ‘The Casual Crooner’, ‘The Trend Setter’, and ‘The Statement Maker’.

And finally, they encourage customers to take action with strong CTAs.

Here’s a great example from Casper.

See how they’re putting the focus entirely on the value Dad will gain from buying the products? They’re encouraging a sale without being pushy.

And hey, You can also be succinct. See how Hydro Flask does it? Use minimal copy but make it count.

Don't forget to check out: Simplify online shopping for senior citizens: 16 UX ideas

10. Tailor your gift guides to customer interests

Consider this. 

44% of customers are looking for something unique & original

37% want to evoke a special memory

24% want something convenient

18% want a gift that is cost-effective

and 9% are undecided

And yet, a fair majority of gift guides are tailored only to budget: under $10, under $50, etc.

If you’re still doing this, you’re missing out. Why: Only 18% of customers are worrying about the costs. The rest value product benefits & creative appeal more.

Instead, create gift guides for every kind of shopper.

For those looking for something unique/original, share what’s exclusive to your store: products with certain designs, sustainability initiatives (or a PETA approval), special ingredients (niacinamide, for example, is a big pull right now).

For those who want to inspire a special memory, look into offering a DIY application. When customers are excited about customizing a product, they're far more excited to show it off too.

For those looking for convenience, offer practical advice filtering through shopper personas: products that will help CEO dads, for example, or adventurous ones, creative ones, etc.

The example below taps into the unique & original and special memory aspects (which make a large chunk of customers).

11. Think high-value sale for every campaign

On Father’s Day, customers are looking for something original and even something convenient.

When these lifestyle aspects are a priority, the budget is usually more comfortable.

Use the opportunity to drive a higher-value sale:

• Highlight the benefit value of your products. Is there a way you can make their lives even slightly easier?
• Explain how you can offer faster shipping so customers can save time (saved time usually warrants higher spending)
• Talk about your sustainability initiatives, animal-friendly policies, or other ways in which your products are good for society.
• Build an aspirational appeal for your products with witty copy & design.

Inspire your audience into an aspirational sale, like Harvest Home does below.

12. Remember the Rule of 7

In marketing, there’s a classic principle.

The Rule of 7 states that a customer needs to see a message 7 times before they can act on it.

This is used in ad retargeting, email marketing, and even seasonal sales campaigns.

Father’s Day is no different. Use the two weeks before Father’s Day to send 7 purchase reminders.

These 7 can be

Introductory notification

Invite for early access to the sale

Product collections and gift guides

Promo codes for the sales campaign

Reminder for the sales campaign

June 18 one-day-only sale with flat discount

Father’s Day reminder with a gift card & social sharing

13.  Get shoppers to engage with you

We’re borrowing this example from Terra Origin’s Women’s Day campaign but it’s a great concept no less.

Free gifts are a great tactic for exit-intent popups but what really stands out here is how they’ve given customers a few different options to select from.

This commands an interaction with the customer, getting one foot in the door.

When the customer has done the work of selecting a product they like, they’re also likely going to make a purchase just to be able to keep that product.

Here are some other ways to make this work:

• Bring in some DIY elements: design customisation, bundle creation, etc.
• 3 to 5 step quiz where they select simple answers & get a "personalized" gift selection at the end.
• Spin-the-wheel element where they get a free gift or special discount.

Pretty cool psych trick, eh?

14. Apply incentives once the customer adds products to cart

Three truths:

Average customer spend is $171 on Father’s Day

Customers like free shipping (75% admit to the influence)

Customers will recommend a store that offers them some incentive

Pair them up.

Offer a sweet value-add (which can be above the $171 mark) and apply it once the customer has added the products to cart.

While customers may not continue through to check out, this one extra step helps you get one foot in the door.

Psychologically, this creates an interaction and often contributes to a better brand recall.

Here are some incentives you can look at:

Free shipping

Expedited shipping

Free gift with $171 purchase

Tiered discounts starting $171

Discounted upgrades on products above $171

You can build that further by offering customers a small discount for simply sharing your Father’s Day collection with friends.

Also, share a link to your loyalty or referral program on the Thank You page.

15. Offer a gift card as a last-resort option

We’ve all seen the movies, heard the jokes, and even been there.

It’s the day of the occasion and you just woke up with absolutely no planning.

You know it’s a tricky situation and customers HATE being in it. Make their lives a little easier with a last-minute option that can be instantly accessed.

If you can offer express two-hour shipping across a certain city, state, or even a couple of states, let them know. If not, look at launching a gift card or downloadable that can be purchased and installed in a jiffy.

You may also want to enable social sharing to simplify the sharing process as well.

Plus, send them an email reminder that morning! It may just be a literal wake up call for them.

Final words

Perhaps the biggest advantage with Father’s Day marketing is that it’s a day built on emotion. Know what your customers are thinking, what they’re looking for (and why), and that’s half the battle won. This post will help you tap into their psyche and develop your own tools to master Father’s Day for eCommerce.

All set for Father's Day? Check out Next-Level 4th of July Marketing Ideas (+ Examples)