Is it a habit to buy Greetings Cards in the UK?

Do you think it is a Habit to buy Greetings Cards in the UK?  Well, from recent research some interesting statistics were found.  Furthermore it was fascinating in the face of the age ranges, quantities of cards bought, where they were being bought and price.

First of all there was quite a wide spread of age-groups, that had a slight bias towards the 25-55 yrs of age group.  This may be down to many reasons, predominantly it is a cultural thing with this group and the Over 55’s linking to pre internet.  Here are the breakdown in figures:

Under 25 yrs - 9.1%
25 - 55 yrs - 46.8%
Over 55 yrs - 44.2%

Interestingly, 87.2% of those who purchase greetings cards were female and 12.8% male.  This may also be a reflection on buying habits and responsibilities.  Or simply females are more in tune with remembering particular occasions.  Was it as important for a male to receive a card too?  This may be the answer to why this is the way it is.

The next interesting statistic was how many greeting cards do people buy over the course of a year?  In this particular case the largest estimated percentage was for 10 - 20 per annum.  It is worth noting this did not include Christmas cards which many people tend to buy in bulk.

43.6% buy 10-20 per year
17.9% buy 5-10 per year
17.9% buy 20-30 per year
14.1% buy fewer than 5 per year
6.4% buy more than 30 per year

So, where are greetings cards normally bought from? Tradition has it we are still heading for the card shop where the vast majority are bought.  At the other end of the scale, only a small percentage are bought online.  However, with buying habits changing as we already know in the UK general online purchases now exceed high street purchases and have so since 2009, this I’m sure will be reflected in time.

Card Shop - 74%
Charity Shop - 27.4%
Bookshop/Gallery - 20.5%
Gift Shop - 15.1%
Garden Centre - 2.7%

Online – 1.4%

There also appears to be a tendency to buy greetings cards that are left blank inside. 

77.9% prefer 'blank inside'
22.1% prefer a verse or text inside the card.

Finally, what would the average person expect to pay for a greetings card (excluding Christmas cards).  In this particular case most people would expect to pay on average between £2-£2.50.  However, if it was a special a very special occasion then this figure would be a lot higher, more in the region of £4-£=£6.

In conclusion we as a nation do buy cards regularly, our buying habits may change but the greetings card still holds a significant place in our everyday culture.


www.cardsforeveryone.co.uk