Annual retail sales of greeting cards are estimated between $7 and $8 billion. Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year.
The most popular Seasonal Cards are Christmas Cards, with some 1.6 billion units purchased (included boxed cards). This is followed by cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and St. Patrick’s Day.
Seven out of Ten card buyers surveyed consider greeting cards “absolutely” or “almost essential to them. Eight out of Ten of these buyers expect their purchases to remain the same going forward. Of the balance, twice as many card buyers say they will “increase” their purchasing as say they will “decrease” their purchasing in the coming year.
Women purchase an estimated 80% of all greeting cards. Women spend more time choosing a card than men, and are more likely to buy several cards at once.
Younger card buyers and those who are more technology savvy are currently the ones most engaged in buying paper greeting cards online.
Most people now acknowledge many more birthdays than ever before because of Facebook, but they aren’t necessarily sending fewer cards as a result.
The tradition of giving greeting cards as a meaningful expression of personal affection for another person is still being deeply ingrained in today’s youth, and this tradition will likely continue as they become adults and become responsible for managing their own important relationships.
8 thoughts on “Facts about greeting cards…”
I thought 80% sounded a little low for women buying cards. My husband leaves that job for me and I bet almost every husband leaves it up to his wife to shop for cards.
I believe that fact about women buying most of the cards sold. I never see a man in the greeting card aisle at my supermarket-always women & kids looking at the cards!
It’s easy to see how Facebook with all its cute emojis could tempt you to send wishes out to some people. I get it. But nothing takes the place of a card in the hands of someone you truly care about.
The cards I buy are for the month ahead. I check my personal calendar and get all the cards I need for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It’s the stamps that are hard to get – there’s never any open place to park at my post office.
Do you have some facts about the history of foreign greeting cards? For instance, what’s the tradition in South America?
I didn’t realize that Thanksgiving cards are so far down the list of cards that we buy. I wouldn’t let a Thanksgiving go by without sending cards; it’s as important as Christmas.
I can believe that sales for greeting cards are in the billions of dollars. Have you seen some of the cards selling for $6.99 each?
I think it could be higher than 80% of cards being bought by women. I think men only buy cards for their wives and mothers, and only because they can’t ask these women to buy cards for themselves.
I thought 80% sounded a little low for women buying cards. My husband leaves that job for me and I bet almost every husband leaves it up to his wife to shop for cards.
I believe that fact about women buying most of the cards sold. I never see a man in the greeting card aisle at my supermarket-always women & kids looking at the cards!
It’s easy to see how Facebook with all its cute emojis could tempt you to send wishes out to some people. I get it. But nothing takes the place of a card in the hands of someone you truly care about.
The cards I buy are for the month ahead. I check my personal calendar and get all the cards I need for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It’s the stamps that are hard to get – there’s never any open place to park at my post office.
Do you have some facts about the history of foreign greeting cards? For instance, what’s the tradition in South America?
I didn’t realize that Thanksgiving cards are so far down the list of cards that we buy. I wouldn’t let a Thanksgiving go by without sending cards; it’s as important as Christmas.
I can believe that sales for greeting cards are in the billions of dollars. Have you seen some of the cards selling for $6.99 each?
I think it could be higher than 80% of cards being bought by women. I think men only buy cards for their wives and mothers, and only because they can’t ask these women to buy cards for themselves.