Mother’s Day contributed to a boost in activity for jewelry Web sites in May, according to an Internet data measurement company.

The online category of jewelry/luxury goods/accessories saw an increase of 9 percent over April to 17.5 million visitors, according to data from the comScore Media Metrix service.

“Mother’s Day was a key driver of Web activity in May, as the convenience of online shopping for flowers and gifts drew many to retail sites,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix.

Flowers/gifts/greetings sites reached 42.4 million visitors, up 15 percent from April, making it the top-gaining category for the month, according to the Reston, Va.-based company. AmericanGreetings Property led the category with 15.7 million visitors (up 5 percent), followed by Hallmark with 5.5 million visitors (up 23 percent). Proflowers.com ranked third with nearly 5.5 million visitors, representing a 319-percent gain versus April and ranking it as one of the top-gaining properties for the month. The e-cards category also saw traffic increase, as it grew 8 percent to more than 35 million visitors.

Other retail categories gained as a result of Mother’s Day, including mall sites (up 9 percent to 29 million visitors). MSN Shopping led the mall category with 7 million visitors, a 25-percent jump from April.

JCK