NRF: Consumers cautious on Mother's Day spending

Washington--Americans will spend an average of $123.89 on Mother's Day gifts this year, down slightly from last year's $138.63, with the majority purchasing flowers, according to the latest research from the National Retail Federation(NRF).According to the NRF's 2009 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by Big Research, total Mother's Day spending is expected to reach $14.10 billion, which is slightly more than Easter.Of the four in five Americans (83.3 percent) who will celebrate Mother's Day this year, the majority will focus on the women with whom they are closest. Most people (62.4 percent) will purchase gifts for their mother/stepmother or wife (21.7 percent) and scale back on gifts for daughters (8.8 percent vs. 9.4 percent in 2008), friends (6.8 percent vs. 7.1 percent in 2008) and godmothers (1.6 percent vs. 2.1 percent in 2008) to save money."No one will forgo celebrating Mother's Day because of the bad economy, but they will put careful thought into what they buy and how much they spend," Big Research Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Phil Rist said in a media release. "Moms will understand that kids may be spending on a budget, so inexpensive, personal gifts will go a long way."The majority of people (66.8 percent) will buy flowers for mom, spending a total of $1.9 billion on those purchases. Slightly more than half (54.8 percent) will treat mom to a special outing such as dinner or brunch, for a total of $2.7 billion. People will also spend $2.3 billion on jewelry, $1.5 billion on gift cards, $1.2 billion on clothing or clothing accessories, and $1.1 million on personal services such as a day at the spa. In addition, consumers will spend $857 million on electronics or computer-related accessories, $587 million on housewares and gardening tools, and $487 million on books or CDs."Retailers understand that people are on strict budgets, even for important holidays," NRF President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Mullin said in the release. "Budget-friendly gift ideas will abound this Mother's Day: discounted digital cameras, books and apparel still show mom how much she is appreciated."In the search for the best bargains, one-third (30.2 percent) of Mother's Day shoppers will purchase mom's gift from discount stores, while 27.2 percent will go to department stores. Others will head to specialty stores such as florists, gift stores and electronics stores (33 percent) and specialty clothing stores (5.5 percent).As evidence that the Internet continues to play an important role in the way people shop, 18.2 percent will shop online.The NRF 2009 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the Mother's Day holiday. The poll of 8,667 consumers was conducted from March 31-April 7, 2009, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.