Greeting Cards – Info to Know

The basics…

• Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year. Annual retail sales of greeting cards are

estimated between $7 and $8 billion.

• Nine out of every ten households buy greeting cards each year.

• Birthday cards are still the best-selling card type, accounting for more than half of the total cards sold. About two-thirds

of birthday cards are mailed.

• Greeting card prices can vary from 50 cents to more than $10 – with a price point for every consumer and sending

occasion. The vast majority are between $2 and $5. Cards featuring intricate designs, special techniques, and new

technologies and innovations – such as the inclusion of sound chips and LED lights – as well as handmade cards, are at

the top of the price scale, and represent the fastest growing segment of the market.

• Women purchase more than 80% of all greeting cards. Women also spend more time choosing a card than men, and

• While Baby Boomers continue to buy the most greeting card units, Millennials have spent the most money on greeting

cards since 2015, outspending Boomers.

• Most cards card buyers are between 35 and 60, which is the age range when consumers know the most people, older

and younger, AND are in life stages that include buying homes, getting married and having kids.

• Driving individual purchasing decisions are five key factors: the right message and tone; pleasing art and design;

relationship relevance; appropriate subject matter; perceived value for the money.

million units), Father’s Day (72 million units), Graduation (59 million units), Easter (40 million units), Halloween (20

million units), Thanksgiving (16 million units) and St. Patrick's Day (7 million units).

• Galentine’s Day, often celebrated on February 13, has increased in popularity for the last several years as women are

celebrating their female friends the day before Valentine’s Day aka…Galentine’s Day!

• 85% of adult men and women celebrate Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is also the largest card-sending holiday for the

Hispanic community.

Applying fresh ideas to a classic product…

• The number of card lines continues to increase in order to meet the needs of the selective consumer, as they look for

the perfect card that appears to have been produced just for them or their loved ones!

The case for cards, in the face of technology…

• 8 out of 10 people agree that greeting cards cannot be replaced by social media. Most people now acknowledge many

more birthdays than ever before because of social media, but they aren’t necessarily sending fewer cards as a result.

Those relationships that are “card worthy” continue to generate card-sending.

• E-cards and M-cards (via mobile) count for only a very small percentage of overall greeting card sales, and consumers

• Millennials now spend more dollars on greeting cards in the US on an annual basis than Baby Boomers, averaging $6

per card, although Baby Boomers still purchase more units. The dollars spent and units purchased by Millennials has

been growing steadily for years, as that age group enters the kin-keeping phase of their lives—purchasing a house,

getting married and having children.

• Seven out of 10 card buyers surveyed consider greeting cards “absolutely” or “almost” essential to them. Eight out of

10 of these buyers expect their purchases to remain the same going forward, while also using social media. 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.

is more meaningful because an unexpected card carries an additional element of surprise and delight.

• In a time where so much information is fleeting, cards allow people to connect in an authentic, meaningful and lasting

way. They offer a more impactful and meaningful touchpoint in relationships.

• Greeting cards are available for purchase at locations far beyond just stationery and card shops; from the extensive

greeting card selections in grocery stores and drug stores, to unique offerings at pet stores, women’s accessory shops,

bookstores, catalogs, and online, retailers are also evolving to offer greeting cards that meet the needs and tastes of

their specific customers.