Mother’s Day is a holiday made for online shopping. While many of us may not live with our mums, we can surely still think of them and send them something special – particularly when our favorite retailers keep making it so easy to do so without ever leaving our desks.

RueLaLa gives away $10 gift certificates to those customers who refer friends when those friends place their first order. Today, the site sent an email promoting the effort specifically to moms: “Invite every mom you know,” it suggested.

Apple sent an email to its subscribers suggesting you “Suprise Mom with the new iPad.”

Beauty brands like L’Occitaine and spas and salons like Sassoon Salon are offering Mother’s Day gift sets and packages.

And all of them are not afraid to guilt you into a purchase worthy of your loving mothers.

Shop.org shared a blog this morning on tips to keep in mind in your plans for Mother’s Day marketing. The article states that the National Retail Federation announced last week that consumers are expected to spend a full $18.6 billion to celebrate mothers on May 13 and that one in four Mother’s Day shoppers will buy at least some portion of their gifts online this year, up from one in five in 2010 and 2011.

What have you been doing in the last few weeks, and what do you plan to do this week to capitalize on those last minute shoppers that are surely scrambling to send something to mom? Here’s a few of our tips:

– Make it easy to buy. Customers will be looking for ease of purchase, so if you’re sending any sort of email promotions, make it clear in the messaging just how easy (one click away) it will be to get what you need once they’re on the site.

– Minimize options. Message your prospects with one product you think would be perfect for Mother’s Day. Put a link to buy it and don’t show them anything else.

– Remind them of deadline on Twitter. Twitter is a great way to create a sense of urgency. Tweet a countdown that tells shoppers how long they have left – on the hour.

– Start a social conversation. Use Facebook to chat with your customers about what their favorite mom moments are, or why they love their mom, or what have you, and motivate them with a last minute discount. Sift through 10 to 20 comments, pick the best, and email your customer a personalized discount code.