Mother's Day spending will total $15.73 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation's "2007 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions" survey, conducted by BIGresearch.
One-fifth of consumers surveyed in April expected to shop for Mom online, up from 17% last year.
The average consumer planned to spend $139.14 on the holiday.
Small business owners also think Mother's Day shopping is moving online. Three-quarters expected consumers to buy more of their gifts online this year, according to Constant Contact's "Mother's Day Outlook" survey.
As a result, 74% of small businesses planned to send out Mother's Day promotions, mostly online.
E-mail was in 86% of respondents' marketing plans. Another 42% planned to use other forms of online marketing such as display ads and paid search.
The same survey found that just over half of small business owners thought that e-mail marketing was the best way to drive sales. Online marketing was considered best by 17% of respondents.
US small business owners now rate Mother's Day as a bigger sales day than Valentine's Day, Easter, Father's Day, the Fourth of July, Halloween, Labor Day or St. Patrick's Day.
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