Washington, April 22, 2008 – Mother’s Day might not be as rosy for mom this year, with consumers planning on scaling back on the quantity of gifts they buy for the holiday. According to NRF’s 2008 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, consumers will spend an average of $138.63 this year, compared to $139.14 last year. Total consumer spending is expected to reach $15.8 billion.

Of the 84.2 percent of consumers celebrating Mother’s Day, the majority will invest in one major gift for mom, instead of several smaller gifts. This is largely apparent in the jewelry category: while the percentage of those buying jewelry decreased from last year (32.8% vs. 29.7 in 2008), those planning on buying mom something shiny will still spend a total of $2.7 billion, compared to $2.1 billion last year.

“Mom has been saying for decades that it’s the thought that counts on Mother’s Day, and this year, kids might actually be listening,” said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. “Retailers will offer specials on popular items such as digital cameras and gardening tools to make it easy for those who want to surprise mom with a gift.”

When it comes to popular gifts, consumers will shell out nearly $3.0 billion on a special dinner or brunch, $1.2 billion on consumer electronics like digital cameras, digital photo frames and video cameras, $2.0 billion on flowers, $1.4 on clothing and accessories and $1.1 billion on personal service gifts like a trip to a favorite spa or salon. Shoppers will also spend $1.6 billion on gift cards/gift certificates, $696 million on housewares and gardening tools and $672 million on greeting cards.

The majority of consumers shopping for Mother’s Day gifts will head to specialty stores (35.0%), discount stores (25.7%) and department stores (28.8%). Others will shop at specialty clothing stores (6.6%), online (18.3%) and through catalogs (3.4%).

Young adults aged 18-24, many of whom have wives, mothers, grandmothers and sisters, will spend the most at an average of $170.71. The 25-34 year-old age group will spend an average of $153.17, followed by 35-44 year-olds who will spend an average of $145.86.

“Consumers will be very cautious with their wallets this Mother’s Day, heeding mom’s advice that she really doesn’t need much,” said BIGresearch Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist. “Gas prices and other economic issues will still be at the forefront of people’s minds as they shop around for the perfect gift for mom.” 

About the Survey

The NRF 2008 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted for NRF by BIGresearch, was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Mother’s Day. The poll of 8,180 consumers was conducted from April 1-8, 2008. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.

BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch’s syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.6 million U.S. retail companies, more than 25 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2007 sales of $4.5 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents over 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com

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