Is the Greeting Card Industry Dying or Thriving?

I come home from work, excited to get to makin’ cards for the evening. I’ve got ideas and phrases running through my head that I can’t wait to get down on paper. I turn on the TV for background noise and my daily roundup of information provided by Lester Holt and the Nightly News.

I’m doing my thing, I always have to clean up before I start making and start with a clean slate. In the background, something on the news caught my attention…. the greeting card industry is dying.

Say WHAAA?

I listen in and hear what I already believe to be true – that the boring greeting cards bought from retailers are not what people buy or want anymore. The news is saying that CVS and Walmart are making significant cut backs on the space they designate for greeting cards.

I do a little research, because I first I was like, “well I picked the wrong industry to start a business in,” but then I was like…. “wait, this could be a good thing!”

As it happens, the greeting card industry is actually thriving, just not for American Greetings or Hallmark.

As I read an article from Business Insider, I’m not surprised to find this:

Customers are no longer excited by the well-known pieces of card stock with heartfelt sayings in them often found in big box stores and pharmacies.

Well yeah, greeting cards at CVS and Walmart and such are just… blah. Boring! They are actually kind of depressing sometimes. And who actually sits there and reads ALL the words on those cards?! I mean, I sometimes do, but it’s more like I skim it (sorry, Grandpa…).

As I read through the article, I find that we prefer less boring, floral, serious cards; instead, we are reaching for cards that feature jovial, ironic tones and cards that feel more like a gift that the recipient can keep and display.

On top of that, NPR states that the greeting card industry isn’t dying because of technology, e-cards, or millennials (ehem, stop blaming us for killing industries), rather, millennials are poised to reshape the industry.

It’s younger people and millennials, in particular, who have been keeping the industry afloat. And they’re buying fancier specialty cards, often with personal touches.

So what, as a greeting card maker, do I do with that information?! I make cute, heartwarming, and wholesome handmade greeting cards. I make funny, sarcastic, and sometimes offensive greeting cards. I make cards that are personal, heartfelt, and cards that can be framed or displayed. Cards that aren’t an afterthought to a gift, but a gift in and of itself.

I want you to be just as excited about the card as I am. I get really excited about the cards I make, sometimes I take breaks just to look through what I’ve made and appreciate it for a minute. Sometimes I actually laugh to myself while making a card, and sometimes I reflect back on hard times and make a card that says something that was told to me during that time, thinking other people might want to hear “you are a warrior” and “take time for self-care” when going through trying times.

Now, I’ve been doing a ton of making, and I thought I would share with you some of my latest favorite creations:

See theme here

Thanks for reading and enjoy your 4th of July! Stay safe, guys. No playing with fireworks.

Sincerely,

Jenny