Today, when something special happens in our lives, like birthdays or engagements, our friends send us an e-card or express their best wishes in a text or even a post on our social media profile. However, not many of them send a regular paper greeting card.
Not long ago, greeting cards were considered an inseparable part of holidays and birthdays. However, now they are a rather special gesture. This new tendency may harm the businesses of many greeting card makers, including one of the top greeting card makers Hallmark Cards. A few days ago, the company stated its plans to shut down a production center in Kansas, USA which is one of the biggest plants of Hallmark. It makes nearly 35% of the company’s cards. As a result, Hallmark will sack 300 people.
Officials from Hallmark admitted that the company is having difficulties in trying to keep up with the competition. They added that people now can connect more easily though the Internet and, more specifically, the social media.
Studies show that consumers have also noticed the trend. They report that, compared to the last decade, they receive fewer greeting cards. However, they still like to send and receive printed cards. But most of them limit this practice only to their family and closest friends. Nevertheless, people are still appreciating paper cards more than e-cards.
Sales are low even among people who send paper greeting cards regularly. That is because they like to make their own customized printed greetings. A lot of people go to photo websites where they create cards by adding images. In addition, some paper stores are giving their clients the chance to design their greeting cards using professional software.
Analysts explain that during the 20th century, Hallmark easily attracted people with its art and poems cards. Back then, mail was the most popular way of communication. Today, however, there are various technologies that enable us to communicate. Therefore, traditional paper cards are falling behind.
Studies reveal that between 2002 and 2010 cards correspondence decreased with 24%. In addition, the number of sent invitations fell with 25% in two years. According to experts, that is due to the new technology and the changing demographics. The study also found that young families are the ones who use the traditional mail the least. That is because young people are the first who adapt the more modern ways of communication.
Some specialists don not consider the new trends to be a bad thing. They believe that people will continue to use paper cards for the more formal occasions. Other events will be handled more quickly with an email or a text. In addition, according to experts, paper greeting cards and emails can perfectly coexist.
However, there are still people who are skeptical about the future of printed greeting cards. That is understandable since most people use technology to send greetings even for the most formal occasions. With social media, for example, people can stay in touch easily than ever. However, the connection which the Internet offers us is not very personal.
But despite it all, there will probably always be people who will send paper cards. Even today, there are still people who like to share their travel experience through post cards. The feeling we get when we open our mailbox and we see a traditional card cannot be compared to anything else.
