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Contrary to expectation, the popularity of traditional Christmas cards is not melting away like the season’s first snowfall.
The number of paper holiday cards being mailed through old-fashioned “snail” mail is not only holding steady but may even be increasing.
“Based on all of the data that we’re seeing out in the marketplace right now ... we’re actually seeing an increase in the number of people reverting back to sending paper cards,” said Carol Miller, executive director of new-product concepts at American Greetings in Cleveland.
An estimated 2 billion cards are sent each year, with Christmas being the largest card-sending holiday for Americans.
Card-sending has remained relatively steady over the last five years, with minor fluctuations in sales often related to increased postage rates or people’s busy schedules keeping them from finding time to send cards, said Barbara Miller, spokeswoman for the Greeting Card Association.
Twenty paper cards are mailed for every virtual card sent by e-mail. Although such “e-cards” are more affordable than paper cards – many e-cards are free or available for a small fee – they aren’t coaxing most people away from sending traditional cards.
E-cards have “been around for quite a while, but (they are) basically considered a supplement ... for traditional greeting cards,” said Deidre Mize, Hallmark spokeswoman. “Most people will either keep their Christmas cards and display them, and that’s difficult” to do with e-cards.
There was a “decline in e-cards way before the economy was bad. They don’t replace paper cards, and we think that is going to continue,” she said.
To meet the demand for the real thing, card companies have developed new ways to jazz them up for the holidays.
Adding LED lights, music and three-dimensional paper engineering, or pop-ups, to holiday images such as Santa Claus or a Nativity scene are ways American Greetings is giving some cards a modern twist.
These “greeting cards truly enhance the experience for the consumer with technology,” Carol Miller said.
Recordable photo frames are other new cards American Greetings created for the holidays. People can insert a photograph inside and record a 10-second message by pressing a chip concealed in the card.
They “enable the consumer to personalize (the card) by adding a little bit of themselves and make it a more personal connection,” Carol Miller said.
Recordable photo frames run about $6.99. Cards with lights and music are $7.99.
