Sparking interest in personalized greetings an opportunity for greeting card marketers

What is a greeting card marketer to do about the Millennials?  These youngest consumers, in their early twenties and younger, show little interest in the traditional custom of sending Christmas cards.  According to research by Unity Marketing in Greeting Card, Stationery, Gift Wrap and Party Goods and Paper Gifting Market Report (based upon a recent survey conducted among 1,436 customers), this youngest age group is the least likely to send holiday greeting cards.

Further the greeting card market skews strongly toward a more mature customer, as one's likelihood to send Christmas greetings goes up with age.  To assure a vibrant future for their Christmas card lines, greeting card marketers must capture the interest of the youthful market in order to stay competitive.

"Part of the reason the youngest potential Christmas card senders are shying away from the practice is to be expected:  they are less likely to head their own households and so don't see the necessity in sending greetings if they do not have a spouse, a child, or a separate address," says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of the report.  "These problems will resolve with time."

"More important, however, is that the Millennial generation is accustomed to communicating in ways that are much more immediate, more efficient, more cost-effective, and arguably more personal.  They use email, personal web pages and blogs, texts, social media postings, and the like.  Compared to these instant forms of communication, addressing a pre-printed card and sending it via snail mail seems like an antiquated way to connect," Danziger explains.

Danziger suggests that Christmas card marketers find ways to allow Millennials to make their holiday greetings more personal.  Create-your-own card concepts could be a solution to this problem, allowing each sender to create a unique greeting.  Card companies might also create special discounts and offers for users who 'like' their page on Facebook.  The new report published by Unity Marketing includes a detailed analysis of people's Christmas card buying practices to help marketers find traction with product buyers, as well as opportunities to expand to new market segments.

"Ultimately, Christmas cards are about sending news and greetings to recipients where they live.  For the Millennials, home is online and greetings are personal.  The card marketer who meets them there stands to gain a customer for life," Danziger concludes.

About the new Greeting Card & Stationery Report

Unity Marketing has just released is latest edition of the Greeting Card, Stationery, Gift Wrap and Party Goods and Paper Gifting Market Report.   Based upon a survey conducted in November 2009 among 1,436 recent category buyers, this study provides the latest market intelligence for marketers and retailers that compete in the $41 billion retail market for paper products and stationery goods. In other words, this study looks at the overall market for paper products that people use to communicate, to express oneself, to celebrate and to craft.    

Commenting on the new report, Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of Shopping:  Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience, said, "This new report is an important source of trend information for competitors in this category.  The report compares the latest survey results with those conducted in 2007 and 2005.  Throughout the study we see clearly the effects of the recession on the consumers active in this category, as they change the products they buy, the amount they spend and the places where they shop.  While it measures the recession's impact, the report also allows marketers to get a view of what the stationery market will look like as the recession eases through this year and into 2011-2012.  Thus it is an important tool for market and strategic planning post-recession."

This report gives a comprehensive view of the paper goods market and includes the following product categories:

• Greeting cards, specifically pre-printed greeting cards, note cards with non-preprinted greetings; boxed greeting or note cards; Christmas cards; pre-printed invitations, thank you cards; custom-printed cards, invitations, etc.; 
• Stationery,such as writing paper, social stationery, business stationery, specialty paper for stationery uses, special paper for computers including photograph printing from computer, decorated paper and/or cards, such as print-your-own cards or invitations, and/or full-sized 8 1/2 x 11 paper, print-your-own banners, including special papers for computer printing, etc.
• Gifting and Party Supplies, such as paper gift wrap, gift bags, ribbons and bows, party ware and paper party supplies, etc.
• Paper Crafting and Hobby Supplies, such as scrapbooking supplies and kits, make-your-own card supplies and kits, stamps and stamp supplies, stickers, photo albums,  memory albums, like baby, wedding memory books, specialty paper 
• Other Paper and Stationery Items, such as blank books and journals, decorative hanging calendars, date books, specialty pens and writing instruments, such as fountain pens, calligraphy supplies, desk accessories, etc.

More about the Greeting Card, Stationery, Gift Wrap and Party Goods and Paper Gifting Market Report

The objective of this study is to provide greeting card, social stationery and other stationery products, gift wrap and party goods and paper crafting product marketers and retailers insights about the consumer market for their products.  These consumer insights help marketers connect more effectively with their target market so that they create and sell more of the kinds of products that consumers really desire.  Based upon research among recent stationery goods consumers, this report focuses on market opportunities available to product manufacturers and retailers to help them deliver products and services that satisfy the consumers' craving for paper products to communicate, express oneself, celebrate and to craft.    

With a focus on consumers, their buying behavior, needs, desires and preferences, this research study includes research data and statistics about:

• Stationery Goods Market Size and Growth:  What is the size of the overall stationery goods market, as well as the six key product segments (e.g. greeting cards, social stationery, custom-printed cards and stationery, gift wrap and party goods, paper crafting products and other stationery products) and how rapidly is it growing?   How is the stationery goods market segmented by type of product?
• Demographics of the Stationery Goods Market:  What are the demographic characteristics of people who buy stationery goods products? How is stationery goods buying behavior influenced by demographic segments (e.g., gender, age, household income (HHI), size, composition, ethnicity/race, education, etc.)?
• Stationery Goods Buying Behavior:  What are the primary characteristics of the consumers' buying behavior related to stationery goods in general and the four product segments (e.g. greeting cards, social stationery, custom printed stationary and cards, gift wrap and party goods, paper crafting products and other stationery products) in particular?  Why do they buy these goods and how do consumers' motivations different by product category segment?  Where do they shop for the different types of stationery products; what factors influence their decision making; how much do they spend buying each of the stationery goods product segments and across the entire stationery goods category; what is the role of brand in stationery goods product selections and shopping choices?  How do different demographic segments differ in their shopping and buying behavior?
• Psychographic Profile and Segmentation of the Greeting Card Markets:  A psychographic profile of the greeting card buyers is developed in this report.  The profiles identify four different types or personalities of consumers of greeting card.  These profiles identify different drives and motivations found among consumers in purchasing greeting cards; what factors are more or less important in driving greeting card purchasing decisions; and how can greeting card marketers and retailers better understand the hearts and minds of their consumers.  In essence, we discover 'why people buy greeting cards.'

About  Pam Danziger and Unity Marketing