Greeting Cards Market by Offering (Birthday Cards, Holiday Cards, Special Occasion Cards), Format (Flat, Folded), Product Type, Age Group, Distribution Channel - Global Forecast 2024-2030

[182 Pages Report] The Greeting Cards Market size was estimated at USD 19.86 billion in 2023 and expected to reach USD 20.79 billion in 2024, at a CAGR 4.59% to reach USD 27.21 billion by 2030.

The greeting cards encompass diverse products for conveying sentiments during occasions, comprising birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other personal and corporate milestones. It includes traditional paper cards and digital counterparts, such as e-cards and personalized video messages. These cards are vital for emotional communication, cultural significance, and corporate use, enhancing relationships and employee morale. Individual consumers, corporate sectors, retailers, and online platforms utilize these cards. Significant growth factors include the rising demand for customization and personalization, cultural and seasonal trends, and the shift towards sustainability with eco-friendly materials. However, the market faces limitations such as digital displacement, market saturation, seasonal dependence, and challenges such as rising material costs, shifting consumer preferences, and environmental concerns. Nevertheless, potential opportunities lie in developing customization tools, mobile app integration, subscription services, corporate partnerships, and sustainable product lines. Advancements in digital printing technologies and eco-friendly innovations, including biodegradable and plantable cards, broaden consumer appeal. Integrating augmented reality and QR codes to create interactive, multimedia-enhanced cards that engage tech-savvy consumers further expands market growth.

The greeting cards market shows varied dynamics across different regions, with significant interest in personalization and eco-friendly options in the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. market is substantial, guided by traditional exchanges during holidays and personal events, whereas Canada exhibits similar consumer preferences on a smaller scale, increasingly favoring digital cards. In Europe, major countries such as the UK, Germany, and France display robust sales during traditional holidays, with a preference for high-quality, artistic, and culturally significant designs. The Middle East market is growing, focusing on religious holidays and personal events, with imports from Europe and the U.S. Africa's moderate growth is concentrated in urban areas, favoring culturally relevant and digital cards, with imports from Europe and China. China's rapidly expanding market is driven by demand for both traditional and digital cards, highlighting intricate designs and customization. Japan maintains a steady market with a cultural inclination for card exchanges, particularly during festivals, featuring local production with minimal imports. India's fast-growing market favors culturally themed and personalized cards, with significant demand during festivals and an increasing shift to digital cards.

The market dynamics represent an ever-changing landscape of the Greeting Cards Market by providing actionable insights into factors, including supply and demand levels. Accounting for these factors helps design strategies, make investments, and formulate developments to capitalize on future opportunities. In addition, these factors assist in avoiding potential pitfalls related to political, geographical, technical, social, and economic conditions, highlighting consumer behaviors and influencing manufacturing costs and purchasing decisions.

• Market Drivers
  • Rising popularity and growing interest in celebrating festivals and occasions
  • Burgeoning e-commerce platforms and online retailing of greeting cards
  • Growing trend for customizable greeting cards
• Market Restraints
  • Declining popularity of physical greeting cards
• Market Opportunities
  • Innovations in the greeting cards and development of recordable greeting cards
  • Integration of technology for personalized greeting cards
• Market Challenges
  • Environmental impact from the production and recycling of greeting cards

• Offering: Burgeoning utilization of birthday cards owing to their consistent demand throughout the year

  Birthday cards remain universally relevant, catering to all age groups and offering a range of messages from humorous to heartfelt. The primary uses include personal interactions, where individuals send cards to friends, family, and co-workers, and in corporate contexts, where employers or businesses use cards to foster relationships with employees or clients. The holiday cards, including Christmas cards, are essential during the festive season, spreading the holiday spirit and reinforcing personal and business relationships. New Year cards convey well-wishing for the upcoming year in personal and business contexts. Easter cards, exchanged during the spring, celebrate renewal and life, focusing primarily on personal use among family and friends. Halloween cards are favored for their playful and humorous elements, emphasizing fun among peers, while Thanksgiving cards express gratitude and appreciation, which are used predominantly for personal interactions and sometimes in corporate settings to thank clients and employees. Special occasion cards cater to various life milestones, driving demand in specific periods. Anniversary cards mark significant personal and professional relationship milestones. Engagement cards celebrate forthcoming nuptials with personalized themes, while graduation cards recognize academic achievements and encourage personal and social acknowledgment. Retirement cards balance personal and corporate use to honor long-term employees and wedding cards are chosen for their elegant and intricate designs, which are meant primarily for family and friends.

• Distribution Channel: Evolving online distribution channel for greeting cards providing customization options suitable for personalized needs

  The offline distribution channel includes physical locations such as kiosks and retail stores. Kiosks, often strategically located in high-traffic areas such as malls, airports, and train stations, are preferred by customers for last-minute purchases due to their convenience. Retail stores offer a more diverse shopping environment, while bookstores provide a serene atmosphere where customers can leisurely browse through literary-themed or artisanal cards, making them suitable for thoughtful and personalized messages. Specialty stores cater to niche markets, offering high-quality, unique, and often handcrafted cards perfect for bespoke events such as weddings and graduations. Supermarkets and hypermarkets provide the convenience of one-stop shopping, where greeting cards can be purchased alongside other goods. Customers appreciate this convenience for everyday occasions, such as birthdays and thank-you cards. The online distribution channel comprises brand-specific websites and e-commerce websites. Brand-specific websites attract loyal customers with exclusive designs, customizable options, and assured quality, making them ideal for personalized and custom-designed cards for significant occasions such as weddings and corporate events. E-commerce websites appeal to a broader audience with competitive pricing and a wide range of options, suitable for bulk purchases and diverse needs. Comparative analysis indicates that offline channels, such as kiosks and supermarkets/hypermarkets, offer convenience and immediate availability; however, they are limited in selection. In contrast, online channels provide a more comprehensive selection and customization options suitable for personalized needs. Specialty stores and brand-specific websites excel in offering unique, high-quality cards, whereas e-commerce platforms provide competitive pricing that appeals to price-sensitive consumers.

The porter's five forces analysis offers a simple and powerful tool for understanding, identifying, and analyzing the position, situation, and power of the businesses in the Greeting Cards Market. This model is helpful for companies to understand the strength of their current competitive position and the position they are considering repositioning into. With a clear understanding of where power lies, businesses can take advantage of a situation of strength, improve weaknesses, and avoid taking wrong steps. The tool identifies whether new products, services, or companies have the potential to be profitable. In addition, it can be very informative when used to understand the balance of power in exceptional use cases.

The market share analysis is a comprehensive tool that provides an insightful and in-depth assessment of the current state of vendors in the Greeting Cards Market. By meticulously comparing and analyzing vendor contributions, companies are offered a greater understanding of their performance and the challenges they face when competing for market share. These contributions include overall revenue, customer base, and other vital metrics. Additionally, this analysis provides valuable insights into the competitive nature of the sector, including factors such as accumulation, fragmentation dominance, and amalgamation traits observed over the base year period studied. With these illustrative details, vendors can make more informed decisions and devise effective strategies to gain a competitive edge in the market.

The FPNV positioning matrix is essential in evaluating the market positioning of the vendors in the Greeting Cards Market. This matrix offers a comprehensive assessment of vendors, examining critical metrics related to business strategy and product satisfaction. This in-depth assessment empowers users to make well-informed decisions aligned with their requirements. Based on the evaluation, the vendors are then categorized into four distinct quadrants representing varying levels of success, namely Forefront (F), Pathfinder (P), Niche (N), or Vital (V).

• Willow & Ivy Press unveils inaugural greeting card collection

  Willow & Ivy Press introduced its first-ever collection of greeting cards, focusing on a combination of traditional and contemporary designs. The collection features hand-painted floral patterns, whimsical illustrations, and heartfelt messages, aimed at providing a blend of elegance and warmth. The new launch emphasizes quality, artistic expression, and the desire to foster meaningful connections through written sentiments. [Published On: May 08, 2024]

• Cardzone Group acquires Clintons, expanding footprint in the UK greeting cards market

  Cardzone Group acquired Clintons, a well-established player in the UK greeting cards and gifts sector. This strategic acquisition boosts Cardzone's presence in the market, making it one of the potential greeting card retailers in the country. Clintons aims to benefit from Cardzone's robust operational framework and market experience. [Published On: March 04, 2024]

• Minted partners with DoorDash for on-demand delivery of greeting cards catering to Millennial and Gen Z consumers

  Minted launched a new partnership with DoorDash, enabling the on-demand delivery of greeting cards. This collaboration targets Millennial and Gen Z consumers, offering them convenient access to high-quality, customizable greeting cards. The service leverages DoorDash's extensive delivery network to ensure timely delivery, aiming to meet the evolving preferences of younger generations for quick and personalized gifting solutions. [Published On: February 08, 2024]

The strategic analysis is essential for organizations seeking a solid foothold in the global marketplace. Companies are better positioned to make informed decisions that align with their long-term aspirations by thoroughly evaluating their current standing in the Greeting Cards Market. This critical assessment involves a thorough analysis of the organization’s resources, capabilities, and overall performance to identify its core strengths and areas for improvement.

The report delves into recent significant developments in the Greeting Cards Market, highlighting leading vendors and their innovative profiles. These include American Greetings Corporation, Archies Limited, Avanti Press, Inc., Biely & Shoaf Co., Blue Mountain Arts, Inc., Budget Greeting Cards Limited, Calypso Cards, Card Factory PLC, Crane & Co., Inc., Culture Greetings by CPAI Group, Inc, Galison Publishing LLC, Hallmark Cards, Incorporated, IG Design Group UK Limited, JibJab Catapult CA, Inc., Lovepop Inc., LPG Greetings, Moonpig.com Limited, NobleWorks Inc., Paperless Inc., Pictura Inc., Postable LLC, Rifle Paper Co., Someecards, Inc., Trumble Greetings, Inc., UK Greetings Ltd, and Viabella Holdings, LLC.

This research report categorizes the Greeting Cards Market to forecast the revenues and analyze trends in each of the following sub-markets:

• Offering
  • Birthday Cards
  • Holiday Cards
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • New Year
    • Thanksgiving
  • Special Occasion Cards
    • Anniversary
    • Engagement
    • Graduation
    • Retirement
    • Wedding
• Format
  • Flat
  • Folded
    • Bi-Fold
    • Tri-Fold
• Product Type
  • Customizable
  • Handmade/Artisan
  • Standard
• Age Group
  • Adults
  • Children
  • Teenagers
• Distribution Channel
  • Offline
    • Kiosks
    • Retail Stores
      • Bookstores
      • Specialty Stores
      • Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
  • Online
    • Brand-specific Websites
    • E-commerce Websites

• Region
  • Americas
    • Argentina
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • Mexico
    • United States
      • California
      • Florida
      • Illinois
      • New York
      • Ohio
      • Pennsylvania
      • Texas
  • Asia-Pacific
    • Australia
    • China
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
  • Europe, Middle East & Africa
    • Denmark
    • Egypt
    • Finland
    • France
    • Germany
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Netherlands
    • Nigeria
    • Norway
    • Poland
    • Qatar
    • Russia
    • Saudi Arabia
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Turkey
    • United Arab Emirates
    • United Kingdom

1. Market Penetration: This section thoroughly overviews the current market landscape, incorporating detailed data from key industry players.
2. Market Development: The report examines potential growth prospects in emerging markets and assesses expansion opportunities in mature segments.
3. Market Diversification: This includes detailed information on recent product launches, untapped geographic regions, recent industry developments, and strategic investments.
4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: An in-depth analysis of the competitive landscape is conducted, covering market share, strategic approaches, product range, certifications, regulatory approvals, patent analysis, technology developments, and advancements in the manufacturing capabilities of leading market players.
5. Product Development & Innovation: This section offers insights into upcoming technologies, research and development efforts, and notable advancements in product innovation.

1. What is the current market size and projected growth?
2. Which products, segments, applications, and regions offer promising investment opportunities?
3. What are the prevailing technology trends and regulatory frameworks?
4. What is the market share and positioning of the leading vendors?
5. What revenue sources and strategic opportunities do vendors in the market consider when deciding to enter or exit?