PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.–Workshop vacuums, men’s facial-care products and small kitchen electrics topped the list of “giftable” items for Father’s Day and recent graduates, according to research by The NPD Group.
Probing into sales figures for the weeks leading up to Father’s Day and high school and college graduations from last year, the market-research company determined that vacuums, facial trimmers, citrus juicers, sandwich makers and waffle irons showed increased sales for the shopping period leading up to these events. The top three small appliance categories purchased by women in June 2007 were electric toothbrushes, fans and electric shavers. In the home-improvement segment, barbecue grills, hand tools, power tools, and lawn and garden tools finished in the top of the gift list last year.
NPD described men’s electric shavers as “one of the most giftable small appliances” at this time of year. The company added that body groomers in general were a popular gift item, citing a 5 percent increase in sales of these products in March and April of this year.