Birthdays, graduations, holidays and more — there are countless reasons to let friends and loved ones know they’re on your mind. And for many Americans, there is no better way to do that than the U.S. Mail.
That’s why greeting cards are a bright spot for the Postal Service, even amid the rise of online communication.
According to the latest Household Diary Study, a national research effort sponsored by USPS, mail volume for greeting cards has grown in recent years.
More than 2.3 billion greeting cards were mailed in the fiscal year that ended last September, reflecting a 3.4 percent increase during a three-year period.
“For many customers, greeting cards are irreplaceable,” said Marketing Vice President Steve Monteith. “Getting a congratulatory email or a birthday greeting on social media simply doesn’t compare to opening a beautiful card with a handwritten message that’s arrived in the mail.”
USPS will continue to sell greeting cards in many Post Offices, as well as emphasize them in holiday season marketing, Monteith said.
The organization is also supporting the second annual U.S. edition of Thinking of You Week, scheduled for Sept. 23-29.
That campaign, sponsored by the nonprofit Greeting Card Association, encourages consumers to mail a card a day for one week. Among promotional efforts last year, USPS highlighted Thinking of You Week in cancellation messages on 500 million envelopes.
“I still send greeting cards and enjoy receiving them,” said Harlem, MT, Postmaster Janet Egeland. “It shows a person cares enough to spend a little extra time to select and mail the card.”
Simply put, Monteith said, “greeting cards are a success story for us, and we want that story to continue.”