Sunday, December 02, 2007

It's holiday card time ...

Get in line now. The USPS says 20 billion cards, letters and packages will be delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The nation's e-card business may be diversifying and growing, but hand-written notes are here to stay.

"They're very different mediums," the Greeting Card Association says, claiming that e-cards don't actually compete with paper cards in the marketplace. The reason? Emotion.

"An e-card is fun and it's instantaneous, and the sender and receiver recognize that," a GCA spokeswoman adds. "A greeting card has far more sentimental value. You send one for a longer-lasting, deeper meaning."

One company that is bridging the electronic-paper gap is Seattle's GreetQ. GreetQ offers users the ability to select and schedule mailings of actual greeting cards, which can then be sent to your home to sign and mail, or, for a $1 fee, GreetQ will have its staffers handwrite your note and send it for you.

"We aim to do what Zappos.com has done for shoes and what Netflix has done for movie rentals. It’s now time for greeting cards to enter the fold," GreetQ.com cofounder Jennifer Taylor said.

And right on the front page of their site: our friends at Bald Guys Greetings!