Gifts Of Gadgets For Mom

Techno-savvy moms are demanding more useful and high-tech gifts.

A small flat-panel television for the kitchen while she cooks dinner? Why not? A GPS navigation system for the car as she pools the kids around? Sure. Or maybe a digital camera to capture all those precious memories.

Spending on consumer electronics this Mother’s Day will jump a whopping 61 percent to $1.2 billion, according to the National Retail Federation In 2007, just $747 million was spent in the category. Besides jewelry, electronics is the only sector that will see an increase as the holiday feels the effects of a sagging economy.

Consumers will spend a total of $15.8 billion this Mother’s Day, with per-consumer spending down to $138.63, compared with $139.14 in 2007.

With high gasoline and food prices, many are opting to buy useful items rather than pretty ones.

“The jump in consumer electronics is largely attributed to consumers deciding to spend their money this year on one nice item instead of a few smaller items,” said Kathy Grannis, spokeswoman for the federation.

Stephanie Chestnut is all for that. The single mother of 6-year-old Alexis has been wanting a pink digital camera. So when Chestnut picked up the ads Sunday and saw just the one she wanted, she and Alexis headed to the store.

“I bought it, and I told my daughter that was her present to me,” said Chestnut, who lives in Southport. “She was so excited.”

Chestnut herself is considering another electronics purchase — a digital photo frame — as a gift to her own mom.

“I just think there is so much new technology that is out there, and they make great gifts for moms,” she said.

Mothers need technology, said Jackie Foreman, spokeswoman for Circuit City. According to a Mother’s Day survey conducted by the consumer electronics retailer, 99 percent of moms report they are the ones who preserve family memories.

“With more and more digital cameras coming on the market, it’s just a great gift for mom,” Foreman said. Circuit City has been offering free in-store and online training sessions this week for technology being bought for mom.

“The gift buyer can come to these, preload the digital frame with photos and make the gift even more special,” she said.

At Best Buy, consumers are entering stores in force to buy for those special women.

“Technology is an important part of Mom’s traditional role as chief memory officer,” said Jeff Dudash, spokesman. More people are buying high-definition digital camcorders, which allow photos to be shared online and managed using a personal computer.

Dudash said gadgets are becoming more stylish and fit the lifestyle of a savvy mom. There are Liz Claiborne laptop cases, cell phone cases and other accessories that blend into women’s fashions, he said. Even TVs are sleeker so they add style to a home.

And as the economy comes into play, consumers aren’t forgetting that an electronics gift is one that will benefit the whole family, he said.

Heather Hansen has a major list of consumer electronics gifts she would like to receive for Mother’s Day. The 35-year-old Indianapolis mother of four considers herself a tech geek. On her wish list: Pioneer Inno portable XM with car kit, a PC gaming chair and Bose noise-canceling headphones, among several other gadgets.