Greeting cards are widely regarded as one of the best ways to stay in touch with loved ones. The best part is that greeting cards can be customized according to your needs and preferences! For instance, customizing a greeting card by Vista Create and gifting it to your parents must also have fallen victim to this digitization. This blog investigates whether the advancement of technology has rendered well-known greeting cards obsolete.
Do People Still Use Greeting Cards?
Statistics from the Greeting Cards Association say that each year, 6.5 billion greeting cards are bought. In the digital age, almost every single activity that requires manual labor and a lot of effort is replaced by laptops, mobile phones, and computers. Instead of sending out heartfelt letters, the current generation prefers to communicate using email.
Rather than meeting up with our loved ones to stay up to date on their lives, the current generation chooses to text or email them using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Therefore, which individual would choose to put in the effort and purchase, write, and deliver a postcard instead of emailing or texting their loved ones?
However, unlike what most people think, a significant proportion of people would rather put in the effort than text their loved ones. A greeting card is the best way to break through all the digital noise and break up the monotony of texts. Presently, the younger generation has been sending more greeting cards than the older generation did back in their days!
The current generation loves anything that falls into the “vintage” category. Ultimately, spending time writing a heartfelt note on coffee-scented paper, sealing it with a wax seal, and dropping it into the local mailbox is an activity that fits their aesthetic. Since every inch of their lives is surrounded by technology, prioritizing personal gestures like sending greeting cards helps them step out of the digital world for a brief while.
Why Has the Greeting Card Industry Declined?
Despite what we’ve talked about so far, the greeting card business is falling by 3% each year. Due to the decline in purchases, departmental stores like CVS and Walmart were left with no choice but to limit their display space for greeting cards.
Since we have established that the current generation’s interest in using greeting cards has not declined, the ultimate question is: what has led to the industry’s downfall? The answer to this question is quite simple. The advent of technology has not changed the interest in greeting cards. However, it has definitely changed the format greeting cards take.
Today’s generation loves handiwork and the idea of making greeting cards themselves and putting their love into them. During the pandemic, people were bound to the four walls of their residences. Due to the social networking revolution, people were unable to physically drive to stores and purchase cards to express their sentiments to loved ones.
Fortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the discovery of online shopping. People now purchase greeting cards through online vendors or, better yet, customize them according to their needs and design their greeting cards themselves.
Customers are allowed to choose from thousands of designs and print them – all from the comfort of their homes. Individuals can even personalize the greeting card as per their needs. The current generation prefers to design their own card rather than deliver store-bought cards to their loved ones.
The vast majority of people tend to think that greeting cards are obsolete and are no longer appreciated. This statement holds no truth. If anything, the greeting card industry has grown in popularity, and the Covid-19 pandemic played a crucial role.
Conclusion
Greeting cards are all about the impact that they make. The current generation, or as they label themselves, Gen-Z, adores anything that fits their aesthetic. Receiving a heartfelt note from someone you love is an instant mood-changer. While some believe that texts can have a similar impact, that is not the case.
Texts often get hidden in the flood of notifications and are barely paid attention to. Yes, texts may help an individual experience an instant boost of serotonin. However, the happiness of receiving and reading a text is not constant. A greeting card or a thank-you note can be cherished and preserved for life and is much more personal.
