Paul Watson
In today’s digital world, the first assumption about greeting cards might be that they’re old fashioned and quickly going out of style. However, this is not the case. The industry is a lot healthier than you may expect.
Although the internet and multiple social media platforms have made sending ‘greetings’ easier than ever, more and more younger people are returning to physical greeting cards at important times of the year like birthdays and Valentine’s Day. So much so, that the industry’s revenue has risen this year compared to last, according to the National Retail Federation.
One of the main reasons for this is that younger people are frequently sending cards that offer a fancy upgrade option, or personalisation that shows the effort that they’ve put in. Not only that, but millennials are also buying cards to congratulate friends, send thank-you notes and more. Why are we seeing such a rise in greeting card popularity? After years of an industry slump, this rise has come as quite a surprise to many.
Greeting card apps – when digital meets physical
Apps such as Felt and Postable allow people to create their greeting cards from scratch on their phones, add their message and those behind the app will then send the physical copy to the recipient. Other young people have taken to the likes of print companies to create their masterpieces. Both Shutterfly and Vistaprint have seen the rise in people uploading their personalised pictures to custom stationery and cards.
The common denominator between these two methods is the power of personalisation. People want to add their unique spin to the design to show that they’ve put some extra thought into the card and that’s exactly what these apps are allowing them to do.
One step further
Many millennials have now gone one step further and realised what the industry was missing during the slump and are starting their own greeting card companies. 3D pop-up cards, cards with LED lights, and even ones that come with animations that must be accessed via a mobile phone. There’s plenty of potential and creativity flowing into the industry at the moment.
Although this is succeeding in making greeting cards more relatable and accessible to younger people, they have in turn dramatically raised the price of them. Consequently, this has meant that millennials are buying fewer greeting cards than compared to other generations, despite their willingness to pay a higher price on a singular card.
Make the most of it
In the same way that millennials are getting in on the greeting card industry, many shops across the country are investing in greeting card units so that they too can benefit. Nowadays, you can find many displays that not only display the cards well but also visually add to the design of your store. Whether it’s a certain colour you want, or extra additions such as locking draws, castors or bespoke size, there are many ways that the card display can benefit your store.
