Greeting Card Industry General Facts and Trends
Approximately 7 billion greeting cards are purchased annually by consumers, generating more than $7.5 billion in retail sales. The ink-on-paper industry has experienced continued growth for the past 60 years (since 1993, nearly 20 percent growth in retail sales). When the GCA was formed in 1941, there were only about 100 card publishers with approximately $43 million in wholesale card sales. Currently, there are now more than 2,500 greeting card publishers in the U.S., ranging from major corporations to small family-run organizations. GCA publisher member companies account for approximately 95 percent of the industry market share.
Growing trends in the greeting card industry include the increase in sales of everyday-general friendship cards, a growing number of greeting card publishers, and the need for more emotion-based me-to-you messages in the form of greeting cards. Today, there are cards for every relationship, every occasion, every ethnicity, every age group, every gender and every special interest group. Greeting cards are available for more than 20 different holidays, including holidays of specific ethnic origins. Greeting cards are being sold in more outlets than ever before, as well as being purchased and sent over the Internet. A single greeting card has the power to touch more people in more ways than any other form of communication, while conveying or eliciting a wide range of emotions.
Since 1993, the number of U.S. households participating in the greeting card category has grown more than 6 percent. Part of this growth is due to a more relaxed lifestyle. In keeping with casual Fridays, more Americans are using casual, conversational cards for communicating with friends, neighbors and work associates in addition to using more traditional cards to recognize milestone occasions and special relationships.
Another reason for this growth is that nine out of 10 Americans look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family as well as make the recipients feel special and important to someone else. In fact, personal greeting cards and letters are the primary types of mail people look forward to receiving, open first and read thoroughly.
Of the total greeting cards purchased annually, roughly half are seasonal and the remaining half are for everyday card-sending situations. The most popular everyday card-sending situation is still birthday, which accounts for nearly 60% of everyday cards sold. In addition, everyday cards, especially non-occasion cards, are fueling the growth in sales (versus holidays), as are individual card sales (versus packaged or boxed cards).
The next most popular everyday card-sending occasions in order are anniversary, get well, friendship and sympathy. These, in addition to birthday cards, account for roughly 85 percent of everyday cards sold.
The most popular card-sending holidays in order are Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day. Together, these five card-sending holidays account for 96 percent of individual seasonal card sales. Christmas accounts for nearly one-fourth of all individual seasonal cards sold.
| Everyday Cards (50% of market) | Percentage |
| Birthday | 60% |
| Anniversary | 8% |
| Get Well | 7% |
| Friendship | 6% |
| Sympathy | 6% |
| Other | 13% |
| |
| Seasonal Cards (50% of market) | Percentage |
| Christmas | 61% |
| Valentine’s Day | 25% |
| Mother’s Day | 4% |
| Easter | 3% |
| Father’s Day | 2.5% |
| Other | 4.5% |
Cards range in price from $0.38 to $10.00, with the average counter card retailing for around $2.00 - $4.00. Cards featuring special techniques, intricate designs and new technologies are at the top of the price scale.
For a list of Greeting Card Publishers please follow this link:
http://www.greetingcard.org/gcassociation_publishers.html
Note *This is an excerpt from "The Greeting Card Association" Website.
