The average ticket amounted to $31,574, doubling last year and facing much higher inflation. For retail trade, it did not help that the date coincided with a long weekend.
77% of the businesses consulted said that the celebration will help to have better sales in June, although it will probably not be enough to avoid a decline compared to 2023.
In the annual comparison, the only increase occurred in Clothing (+11.1%), explained by the low base of comparison, the existing stock levels that expose, among other issues, that the prices of the sector are below the average of the economy. The hardest hit category was Cosmetics and Perfumery (-37.4%).
The data arises from a survey carried out by CAME between Saturday and Sunday among 157 businesses in the country.
The drop in sales did not surprise 71% of merchants, who expected a weak date and sold what they expected or more. But another 29% said they had sold less than they imagined.
Sectoral result
Footwear and leather goods
Sales fell 4% in real terms compared to Father’s Day 2023, with an average ticket of $40,657. The sale was aimed at light, low-priced footwear, but it was still scarce. In any case, in the stores they were not surprised, because expectations were very low and 80% of the companies surveyed indicated that they had sold what they expected or more.
Cosmetics and perfumery
Sales sank 37.4% compared to last year, at constant prices, with an average ticket of $24,429. It was the worst Father’s Day since the pandemic for that sector, where many businesses agreed that it did not seem like this celebration. The stores were managed with limited stock anticipating that it would be a quiet weekend.
Appliances, home appliances and audio and video equipment
The decline was 6.1%, always at constant prices and compared to Father’s Day 2023, with an average ticket of $43,032. Most of what came out was with cards and in interest-free installments. In promotions offered, what was used most were interest-free installments, and discounts for effective payment in the rest.
Equipment, peripherals, accessories and cell phones
Sales collapsed 29.2% in real terms with a ticket close to $30,104. From the businesses surveyed they said that until Friday it was a normal day, it was only yesterday, Saturday afternoon, that some difference was made. There was a lot of sales online and through networks, which favored the locals with that modality.
Dress
Sales rose 11.1% in real terms compared to the previous Father’s Day, with an average ticket of $29,379. It was the only branch on the rise, partly explained by the fact that the comparison base was low, by the levels of clothing stock and because the amounts in the sector remain relatively below the average.
There were aggressive offers, with creative signage and advertisements to attract people to the business. The category was the one that concentrated the most gifts, taking away the market from other categories that had been gaining space, but this year due to prices they were further behind.
Bookstores
Operations decreased 11.9%, compared to the same celebration in 2023 and at constant prices, with an average ticket of $18,233. It is an item that is always sold on this date, and one of the ones with the most last-minute sales.
CAME
