What Do Dad's Really Want?

At Buttetcup, we specialise in designing and crafting personalised gifts that honor the love, relationships, and connections that matter most. We capture those cherished moments and turn them into meaningful gifts.

Christmas is one of our busiest times, and we've curated a heartfelt selection of gifts for dads, grandads, and father figures alike.

As a society, we often assume that dads are challenging to shop for. While we strive for thoughtful, personalised gifts, many still find it difficult to discover the perfect present, often feeling frustrated by the typical "dad gifts" available on the high street.

Through research comparing what dads truly want versus what we think they desire, we gain valuable insights. In a study featuring 22 different gift categories, both dads and buyers shared their preferences, revealing interesting contrasts in habits and tastes.

For instance, dads ranked personalised gifts as their fourth choice, while buyers placed them at fifth. This indicates that dads appreciate these gifts more than we might assume. In contrast, mugs were ranked fourth by buyers but fell below the tenth spot for dads!

The most significant disparity was with socks; buyers rated them seventh, whereas dads ranked them seventeenth. This suggests that socks may not be the ideal gift, as they lack the personal touch.

Now, let's explore practical versus emotional gifts.

The same question was posed to both dads and buyers, clarifying that it was referring to personalised gifts (like ours), rather than cliché options found in stores. A notable 64% of buyers preferred practical gifts, while only 15% of dads expressed a similar preference, favoring quality and truly personalised gifts that carry more meaning.

This highlights a clear difference, doesn't it? We tend to buy practical gifts for our dads, while they actually prefer more sentimental and thoughtful options.

As a nation, we often struggle to find the perfect gift. Is this because we lean towards safer choices like clothes, socks, and mugs, unsure of what they genuinely want? It turns out that dads desire thoughtful gifts more than we realise.

The Importance of Personalisation

Dads clearly favor thoughtful gifts over practical ones, but do they appreciate personalisation? Given their preference for emotive gifts, it’s no surprise that most dads also favor personalised items. Buyers expressed a preference for personalised gifts, yet only a small percentage follow through to make a purchase!

Reasons for choosing personalisation included “its personal touch”, “thoughtfulness”, and the “effort put into the gift”. Conversely, some responses indicated that personalisation “isn't his style”, or “they’re a more practical person”.

So, what do dads really want?

Food tech and clothing are popular among men, which are easily accessible for buyers alongside personalised gifts. However, dads cherish time spent with family even more and truly enjoy receiving personalised gifts.

Let’s also keep in mind what dads don't appreciate receiving: socks and mugs.

It's time to pay attention to what dads are expressing instead of making assumptions, as we now have clarity!

If only there were a place to find tasteful personalised gifts for men, right?

Visit our gifts for men section to explore our offerings, and remember that customisation is our specialty; we can create something entirely unique just for you and your dad. All it takes is a request.

Please sign in and share your thoughts in the comments! What gifts do you typically choose, and will you reconsider purchasing socks in the future?

Sarah xx

Check out some of these Personalised Gifts, that now we know Dad's would really appreciate.