Walmart.com using Wii Fit to boost Mom's Day sales

By Nicole Maestri

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Forget the flowers and candy -- Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) highly anticipated "Wii Fit" video game will debut in the U.S. later this month, and Wal-Mart Stores Inc's (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) online division is trying to persuade shoppers to order the game as "a perfect gift" for Mother's Day.

This weekend, the Walmart.com homepage will be dominated by the Wii Fit -- a physical exercise program that uses a pressure-sensing board as a controller -- including a link to order the product now, ahead of its May 19 U.S. launch.

Through May 11, shoppers who "pre-order" the $89.74 game, or pay in advance to guarantee delivery when the game launches, will also get a $10 online gift card to use for a future order at Walmart.com.

"Initial response is extremely strong, and we're feeling really good about Nintendo Wii Fit dominating the home page," said Kelly Thompson, Walmart.com's chief merchant, of early shopper demand for the game. "... We really like the angle of marketing it to Mom."

The move comes as retailers look for creative ways to entice shoppers to keep spending amid the economic downturn.

Many U.S. consumers are shunning discretionary purchases as more of their budgets go toward rising food and fuel costs, and they have run out of access to easy credit to fund their shopping sprees.

Retailers now see holidays, like Mother's Day on May 11, as potential bright spots when cash-strapped shoppers may be persuaded to spend some of their limited cash.

According to a National Retail Federation Mother's Day survey, consumers, on average, intend to spend $138.63 on the holiday -- down from $139.14 last year.