nearly a technology after digital Postcard Introduced, digital greeting playing cards skilled a surge in demand final yr because the pandemic minimize folks off their social circle.
With fewer in-person interactions and shops closed, folks seeking to join with household, pals, and colleagues have embraced e-cards, a gimmick that was a heyday within the pre-internet age, however largely distant. occurred.
Alexandra Suazo, a digital advertising skilled in Madison, Wisconsin, mentioned she started utilizing e-cards so as to add a private contact in March final yr, when distant work and lots of different elements of life felt impersonal.
“It was one of the easiest ways to keep up the morale of the team,” she mentioned. “I’ll sometimes send them as a one-off, especially if they’re cute and will make someone’s day.”
American Greetings, one of many giants within the greeting card world, wouldn’t disclose precise gross sales figures. But Rob Matusek, govt director of the corporate’s digital enterprise, mentioned it has seen file development because the begin of coronavirus restrictions, with demand round Easter final yr about what publishers would sometimes count on for the Christmas vacation.
“If they weren’t meeting up physically with friends and loved ones, people wanted to do something that was personal,” mentioned Kelly Ricker, chief artistic officer of American Greetings, which owns the Blue Mountain e-card web site. “It was a nice way to let them know you’re thinking of them.”
The greeting card business’s income from gross sales of paper merchandise within the United States declined 13 % final yr, with many shops closing for an extended interval of 2020, in accordance with IBISWorld, an business analysis firm.
It was a special story for on-line ordering of e-cards and paper playing cards, IBISworld mentioned in a report.
Revenue grew 23.9 % from 2019 to 2020, nearly double the income development of the earlier yr. Some corporations working within the $1.3 billion on-line card market have additionally posted triple-digit development, the analysis agency mentioned.
Simeon Yates, professor of digital tradition on the University of Liverpool in England, discovered an elevated need to attach with others by sending playing cards. “It reflects the fact that people want to show that they care, with the added effort of producing a written artifact to send, even if it’s digital,” Yates mentioned.
As 2021 progresses and extra brick-and-mortar shops reopen, the times of a stunning renaissance for e-cards could also be numbered.
Although a spokesman for American Greetings mentioned that current holidays corresponding to Mother’s Day confirmed sturdy efficiency for each paper and e-cards, Jack Daly, an business analysis analyst at IBISworld, mentioned he expects the revived curiosity in e-cards to be non permanent. .
“The growth spurt will subside,” Daly mentioned. The analysis agency estimates that the net card market’s income development will fall sharply from its 2020 peak to round 1.6 % in 2021.
Confidence within the e-card market was additionally hit when greeting card large Hallmark ended its 24-year enterprise within the e-card market in April. A spokesperson mentioned the corporate had shut down the net service as a part of an ongoing enterprise transformation, and never due to declining curiosity.
For some shoppers who use each codecs, paper has all the time held a particular place. “There’s still a cultural significance surrounding getting cards in the mail,” Daly mentioned.
Jessica Filjan, who runs a advertising company in Monterey, California, has been sending e-cards and printed playing cards to her household for years. She mentioned she proudly shows the intricate paper anniversary card given to her by her husband two years in the past on her desk, admitting that for all of the comfort of an e-card, she nonetheless cherishes the artwork of the printed format. is.
While some may assume that e-cards are a blast from the previous, business professionals predict that it’s the paper playing cards that the youthful technology will crave for his or her nostalgia.
Just as folks at American Greetings consult with Riker as her “card-sending year” — her 20s and 30s, when pals begin getting engaged and having children — she mentioned “paper cards really do have something special to them,” partially. In as a result of it’s a novelty for the generations who spend a lot time on their cell telephones. “It’s kind of a retro feel.”
This article initially appeared in The New York Times.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
