Father’s Day is expected to boost retail sales by £200m this weekend, according to research body Mintel.

Although Fathers’ Day is one of the smallest events for retailers in terms of the amount of revenue it generates, around two in 10 Brits buy a gift for Father’s Day, while about a third of the nation send a Father’s Day card, according to Mintel.

It also notes that higher income households are more likely to celebrate the occasion. The average order value for Fathers’ Day gifts online also increased by 7% last year, according to Rakuten Marketing, with almost a quarter (23%) of sales driven through voucher sites.

Online sales typically begin rising three weeks before Father’s Day, and peak on the week of Father’s Day itself, said the Rakuten report, which noted that sales through tablets were up 101% year on year, accounting for 16% of Fathers’ Day gifts.

Mark Haviland, managing director of Rakuten Marketing Europe, said: “Increasingly people are shopping for dads on tablet devices. This is a cue for retailers to ensure that their site is mobile responsive and their apps are transactional where possible.”

The UK tends to follow in the wake of the US in terms of the commercialisation of annual events but Father’s Day also remains the smallest of the American gift-giving holidays. According to the NRF’s 2014 Father’s Day Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, consumer spend is expected to average $113.80 on neckties, tools, electronics and other gifts this year, slightly down from $119.84 last year. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $12.5 billion in the US.