By ELLEN BYRON
Faced with declining card sales, American Greetings Corp. is struggling to adapt to the digital world. The company has tried to modify its content for the Web—a strategy proven somewhat successful in the music and book industries—but so far its offerings of e-cards and apps haven’t been enough to lure young card buyers.
Now the card maker is hoping it can secure the next generation of consumers by selling them… cooler cards.
Sales of greeting cards have fallen steadily in recent years amid the rise of social media and email. The greeting card industry posted sales of $5.9 billion last year, down 9% since 2005, according to market-research firm Mintel International Group.
Last year, 52% of consumers reported purchasing any greeting card in the past three months, down from 59% four years ago, Mintel found.
Not surprisingly, young adults—nearly all of whom have grown up accustomed to email and social media—buy fewer cards than their elders. Some 82% of consumers aged 18 to 24 reported buying cards, compared with about 90% of consumers aged 35 to 64, according to a survey by market-research firm Unity Marketing.
“My friends don’t expect me to get them a paper card, but they’d be offended if I didn’t wish them ‘Happy Birthday’ on Facebook,” says Alexa Di Benedetto, an 18-year-old college student in Boston.
When she does give friends a birthday card, she prefers to make it herself. “It’s much more sentimental than just buying one,” she says.
Continues at: American Greetings Hopes New Line Entices Millennials to Send More Than an Email – WSJ.com.
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