NRF 2026: Father's Day Pet Portrait Spending Reaches $1.9B — Personalized Pet Gifts Surge | Petraitly News

2026-05-15

NRF: $1.9B in Pet-Related Father's Day Gifts Expected in 2026

May 15, 2026 — The National Retail Federation released its 2026 Father's Day spending forecast on May 13, projecting $1.9 billion in pet-related gifts — 8% of the total $24.3 billion Father's Day market. Custom pet portraits lead as the most popular category, with 38% of buyers planning to gift one.

Why it matters: Pet portraits have become the #1 searched Father's Day gift category on Etsy this May, up 215% year over year, according to Forbes (May 8). Google Trends confirms "Father's Day pet portrait" searches surged 280% versus April 2026, indicating a structural shift in how consumers shop for dad.

Key Data Points

$1.9B — Projected spending on pet-related Father's Day gifts in 2026 (NRF, May 13)
38% — Share of pet gift buyers choosing a custom pet portrait — the top category (NRF)
280% — Increase in "Father's Day pet portrait" Google searches vs. April 2026 (Google Trends)
215% — Year-over-year Etsy search growth for Father's Day pet portraits (Forbes, May 8)
34% — Pet owners who plan to give a pet-related gift for Father's Day (NRF)
$47 — Average spend on a digital custom pet portrait (Statista, May 2026)

The broader pet portrait market reached $5.6 billion globally in 2026, with AI-generated portraits accounting for $1.4 billion — growing 79.5% year over year (Grand View Research, May 2026).

What This Means for Pet Owners

Father's Day is June 21 — five weeks away — but the NRF data shows shoppers are already researching. With nearly 40% of Father's Day shoppers buying within the final week, early research matters.

The "pet dad" economy is a recognized consumer category for the first time in 2026. The APPA's May 2026 State of the Industry report found that 63% of pet owners now consider their pet a "family member" equally important as human relatives — driving premiumization of pet gifts.

For context, platforms like Etsy and Chewy are seeing record pet-gift search volumes, while AI-powered portrait services including Petraitly and WoofArt report that male buyers now account for 34% of custom pet portrait purchases — up from 22% in 2024 (Pet Age, May 10). Petraitly's own Father's Day portrait orders are up 180% compared to the same period last year, according to the company's April 2026 earnings report.

Bottom Line

Pet portrait spending for Father's Day 2026 is on track to nearly double from 2025 levels, making personalized pet gifts the defining category of this year's "pet dad" economy.