Intel Press Release

New Study Shows 80% of Population Buys Mother's Day Gifts One Week Before

Intel's PC ParentsSM Program Offers Tips for Last-Minute Online Shopping and Gift Giving

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 8, 2000 -- If you're one of the 80 percent of shoppers who wait until the last minute to buy their Mother's Day Gifts, don't despair. Skip the mall and go online for that perfect Mother's Day present, say Intel Corporation family computing experts Mark Ivey and Elizabeth Kemper. According to PC ParentsSM Program leaders Ivey and Kemper, a new study by Berrier Associates shows approximately 80 percent of people purchase their gifts the week before Mother's Day, and men are more likely to delay-a full 39 percent of men wait to purchase their gifts the day before or the day of Mother's Day.

If you're still buying flowers and candy for mom, then you're not giving her what she really wants. Selecting from a list of nine gift categories, moms ranked desirability in the following order: #1-homemade (66%); #2-keepsake (64%); #3-day at the spa (54%); #4-tie for bath/beauty products and perfume (41%); #5-flowers (39%); #6-music (35%); #7-computer accessories (19%); or #8-candy and other gourmet items (13%).

Ivey and Kemper state an obvious solution for last-minute shoppers is the family PC, which allows procrastinators to purchase or make gifts as late as Sunday morning. It's also a great tool for creating personalized items including cards, family focused screensavers, and "Great Mom" certificates.

It's no surprise then that online shopping is a fast-growing trend for Mother's Day. An estimated 61 percent of PC owning families are connected to the Internet, and according to statistics from BizRate.com, online spending in the "gift" category jumped 322 percent during the week preceding Mother's Day last year. The reason is simple: online efficiency and convenience caters to busy families. In the time it takes to get dressed, find your keys and warm up the car, you could visit a dozen sites and shops online. Find a wealth of great options to choose for Mom -- even for free or a small fee -- at your fingertips.

Ivey and Kemper have compiled a list of five suggestions for clever and innovative Mother's Day gift ideas:

  1. Keepsakes (For the Modern Mom):
    Forget June Cleaver. Today's Mom is as likely to spend her days in front of a computer screen as in front of the kitchen stove. Kids can decorate Mom's PC with free Mother's Day clip art (http://www.tssphoto.com/mom/mom.html) and screen savers, including flying hearts and blooming flowers (http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/mom/pc.html). For a personal gift idea, make your own unique screen saver.**

    Time (cost):

    • Creating personalized screen saver -- 15 minutes (free)

  2. Virtual Makeover (For the Pampered Mom):
    Have grand intentions, but little cash? Give Mom a virtual makeover where she can choose a model that looks like her and add/remove makeup until she comes up with a look that's just right. If you can afford to splurge a little, throw in a gift certificate for the beauty products of her choice. For truly personalized fun, Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover 2 software from Broderbund lets you scan in a photo of Mom to try on different makeup and hair options from the comfort of home. Once she's achieved the look she wants, the program lets her put herself on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine for a great keepsake of her "day at the spa."

    Time (cost):

    • Selecting and ordering gifts online -- 15-20 minutes. (virtual makeover is free, gift certificates start around $20, Cosmopolitan software is around $49)
    • Shipping time for products -- Next-day delivery available ($5-$22 extra).

  3. Homemade Items (For the Sentimental Mom):
    For nothing but a little time, make your Mom the official "Mother of the Millennium," complete with official awards page. At Webcard, publish a personalized "card" on the Internet. Make a step-by-step Mother's Day certificate at http://www.billybear4kids.com/post/mom/cards.htm for free. Or put your Mom in the headlines at Mom-in-the-news. Simply fill in a few blanks to create an instant "news page" which you can send Mom in an e-mail or print out and give to her. (The trick on these four is that Mom needs an e-mail account to receive her gifts, unless you print them out and hand them to her.)

    Time (cost):

    • Creating online certificates and cards -- five minutes (free)

  4. Truly Last Minute Gifts (For the Harried Dad):
    Not a minute to spare? Go to http://www.giftcertificates.com and order a gift certificate online. Mom can then shop at hundreds of online stores for clothing and accessories. Best of all, the gift certificate is delivered to her e-mail box instantaneously!

    Time (cost):

    • Shopping online -- five minutes (as little as $5, as much as you want to spend)

Although Mother's Day isn't far away, you still have time, thanks to your family pc. Browse the Internet, use your imagination, and you will surely be able to find or make a gift to please any Mom.

PC ParentsSM Program managers Mark Ivey and Elizabeth Kemper are nationally-renowned family computer advocates with years of collective experience. They are frequent television, radio and print media guest experts, author a syndicated newspaper column, and manage a group of trained and certified volunteers that give free workshops to the community in Phoenix, Ariz., Sacramento, Calif., and Albuquerque, N.M. To find out more about the PC Parents Program, visit http://www.pcparents.com, read their online weekly family computing tips at http://www.ivillage.com/pcparents, call their toll-free information line at 1-(877) 272-3237, or view sample newspaper columns at http://www.tms.tribune.com.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

** To make your own personalized screen saver in Windows, just follow these easy steps:

  1. First, right-click on your start-up screen, and then click on "Properties." Along the top, choose the tab labeled "Screen Saver." On the drop-down menu, choose "Scrolling Marquee" and click on "Settings." In the pop-up box will be a space to type in your message, such as "Happy Mother's Day to Our Mom," or "Surprise!" Of course, there's the always-popular message chosen by Mark's boys: "Mom's computer -- touch and regret!"
  2. Next, select your options for background color and scrolling speed. For text options, click "Format Text," and you can select the font style, size and color. Press "OK" twice and you're done! With a few more clicks, you can set a voice message to play each time Mom turns on her PC. But first, you have to record a message.
  3. To set your sound message, on the "Start" menu, go to "Settings" and click on "Sounds" (it's near the bottom of the list). Scroll down under the heading "Windows" and click on "Start Windows." Your current sound will be listed in the title bar under "Name." Under the bar, click on the "Browse..." button. Now find the .wav file you recorded. Twice click "OK" to exit the screens and set your new sound.