Greeting card sales continue to hold steady
According to the Greeting Card Association, sales of the greeting card category — which they estimate to be between $7 and $8 billion — have held steady the past few years.
Seven-out-of-10 card buyers surveyed by the Washington, D.C.-based group 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. Of the balance, twice as many card buyers said they will increase their purchasing as say they will “decrease” their purchasing in the coming year.
The average price for a card ranges from $2 to $4, but some cost as little as $.50 cents and as much as $10. Cards featuring special techniques, intricate designs and new technologies, as well as handmade cards, are at the top of the price scale.
Facts from GCA:
• 6.5 billion: the number of greeting cards purchased each year
• 30: the number of greeting cards the average household buys
• 80%: The amount of women versus men responsible for buying greeting cards. When guys shop for cards, the recipient often is a significant other or family member.
• Birthdays are the top selling everyday card, accounting for more than half of the greeting cards sold, followed by sympathy, Thank You, wedding, thinking of you, get well, new baby and congratulations cards.
• Christmas is the most popular seasonal card, followed by Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and St. Patrick’s Day.