In the UK, the greeting cards market is huge. The BBC reported that the average person in the uK sends around 55 greeting cards per year, producing more than £1.3 Billion annually.
However, not every country has the same regard for greeting cards as the UK does, here we send cards for every occasion imaginable, so can there be any new ideas for the greeting card market, or do they have enough already ?
The concept of my question is simple. Can we come up with a new type of greeting card and bring it to the shops, or is the market saturated already ?
Probably the first thing you think of when it comes to birthdays is purchasing a card. For birthdays alone there are dozens of different varieties with a range of age cards, relatives cards, musical cards, belated cards just to name a few. You can also even buy birthday cards aimed at your pets, your in-laws or step parents.
This all suggests that many marketing people over the years have sat down and asked themselves this question already.
So what else is there that we celebrate, what other occasion can we send or receive greeting cards for ? Certainly nothing new on anniversaries, congratulations, commiseration or good luck – they are all covered. Even if you’re leaving school and want to send a personal card to your teacher, you’ll find a thank you for teaching me greeting card.
Lets look at some facts, 85% of greeting cards are purchased by women, so what new occasion can we bring to the female market that may catch on ? You’re expecting a baby has been done. You’ve had a baby has been done. How about a greeting card that says “you’ve lost weight” ? Perhaps this is covered by a general congratulations card.
Another fact is that alot of primary schools provide post-boxes in their classrooms for children to exchange greeting cards at Christmas, maybe we could add a twist on children sending greeting cards ?
How about kids exchanging cards when they lose their first tooth, that’s a big thing for children, a momentous occasion for them really, a turning point maybe.
When you walk into any greeting card shop you can find cards for: congratulations on passing your driving test, well done for passing your exams, so why not a new card for losing your first tooth.
It’s a fun idea, and that is what exchanging greeting cards is all about, a fun, light-hearted appreciation of something that has happened in the recipient’s life.
My new idea fits the bill for both of my related facts, 85% of the greetings card market is female buyers, there must be a lot of Mums in that bracket, and kids love exchanging cards at school at Christmas time, so why not have a special moment that all 3 or 4 year olds have their own celebration.
Ask any parent and they’ll still recall how when and where their child lost their first tooth, some even keep them in a drawer to remember them by.
So my idea for a new card in the greetings cards market is to produce a “You’ve lost your first tooth” card, it maybe a winner. I’m going to see if I can start selling them soon.
