Dear Greeting Cards, “Welcome Back!”
<div style=' background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;font-size:15px;font-family:Verdana;width:auto;padding:5px;max-height:100%;'><span><p>Greeting cards were once a proud display in humble homes. They occupied a special place behind glass doors of showcases, atop television sets, and sometimes proudly taped to walls. With their mystical dream-like landscapes, gorgeous flowers, pristine countryside and forest views on the outside, they held words of affection and nearness from loved ones. <br>The 1970’s generation, that I belong to, has seen the evolution of greetings and messages from the single word telegrams, the yellow postcards, to the captivating grand greeting cards. In a way, I am glad that communication technology moved at an unhurried and leisurely pace for the greeting card era, since it made keeping in touch a caring and warm experience.<br>When Archie’s (the famed greeting card company) came to town in the 1990s, it was an exciting and an amazing place to hang out. The array of greeting cards and the words inside gave us an entry into a whole new world of precious moments, and creative expressions. We would pool money to buy the biggest card and fill it up with our own verses, poems, and emojis, filling up every inch of white space. In the years to come, cards became a collectors’ item saved in special boxes and carried along, like you would a family member. <br>Over the past decade, sending and receiving greetings has been through texts, gifs, memes on social media platforms, drifting us away from the pleasure of sending and receiving hand written greeting cards. The greeting card industry, an estimated $7 billion dollar, was prophesied to be on the last leg. I had initially set out to write an ‘eulogy’ for the greeting card. However, my research revealed a surprising and a happy revelation.<br><br></p><span></div><div style=' background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;font-size:15px;font-family:Verdana;width:auto;padding:5px;max-height:100%;'><span><p>This holiday season, there has been a pleasant and an unprecedented surge in sales of greeting cards, with millennials and the Gen Zs being the number-one customers. Blame ‘screen burnout’ or ‘scroll fatigue’, millennials and Gen Zs are reveling in the experience of selecting, hand-writing, stamping and mailing greeting cards.<br>Often labelled as digitally absorbed and social media addicts, millennials and Gen Zs have pumped new blood into this dying trend. One of the reasons for the dipping popularity of greeting cards is that the millennials and Gen Zs never felt the cards reflected their “true voice”, “real feelings”, or “their kind of humor.”<br>The greeting card companies and small entrepreneurs heard them, just in time. Phew! These companies and individual card makers have drawn the young crowd back into the world of cards, with words that express their sentiments and emotions that matter to them. Life is not always occasions for rainbows and butterflies; sometimes it’s personal battles, challenges and uncertainties. Along with creativity, some genuine, quirky and surreal humor also ranks high with the youth.<br>The new generation is having a field day enjoying throwback moments with greeting cards. They are investing in personalized cards, original, and tailored to the specific relationship they want to give them to – the compassionate care giver, the caring doctor, the roommate who watered their plants, the neighbor who walked the dog when they were sick, the friend who dressed them up on their important occasion, the coffee shop person who allowed them to stay in the café beyond the hours, the cousin coping with a loss, or that individual who made them feel special. <br>With a substantial number of Indians living in different parts of the world, the moment is ripe for some ‘desi’ and ‘pravasi’ (resident and non-resident) cards that reflect the differing experiences between parents visiting US, or cousins visiting India. <br>Imagine a greeting card from parents in India to their child in the US with a picture of overpacked suitcases that read, “Beta, we miss you. Love Mom and Dad. P.S. We booked our tickets for next month. See you soon. Here’s mom’s grocery list from the supermarket and don’t forget the kari pathaa.”<br>Or a card from one Indian in the US to the other that reads, “Thanks for bringing the package from my parents. I was missing home!” <br><br></p><span></div><div style=' background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;font-size:15px;font-family:Verdana;width:auto;padding:5px;max-height:100%;'><span><p>Some new age sentimental or sassy saas-bahu (mother-in-law, daughter-in-law) cards might get their relationship rolling. <br>Card members like Hallmark have added digital innovations to draw in younger consumers. Their new ‘Sign and Send’ service allows users to write a handwritten message on paper, take a picture and upload it. The company will print the message and send it to the recipient. <br>Greeting cards connect on an emotional level, give expression to your thoughts for that customer, client, family member, or friend. Bring back the unique, intimate feel in your messages. This year, create new timeless memories for your loved ones by sending them a greeting card. <br>Let them know you care enough!<br><br></p><span></div>
