Diwali cards have now become a vestige of the past. Demand for cards during Diwali has come down by over 70% in the last five years.
Diwali cards have now become a vestige of the past. Demand for cards during Diwali has come down by over 70% in the last five years. Among the reasons why people have moved on are the advent of e-cards, social networking sites, and other means of greeting friends and families, a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (ASSOCHAM) Social Development Foundation has found.
The survey was conducted in September and October. The survey concludes that most youngsters have taken to modern means of wishing people.
“The postal department too is facing a slump. There is a steep decline in the movement of Diwali postcards and greetings cards. Earlier, the department used to handle about 8,000 post cards and greeting cards per day during Diwali. But now, the numbers have come down to about 500 cards per day,” the survey says.
Over the last couple of years, there has been a 70% decline in sales of greeting cards, although cards meant for different occasions and ‘days’—mother’s day, father’s day have witnessed a dramatic rise.
“Nearly 80 per cent of the respondents said that that they used to buy greeting cards ahead of Diwali every year. But now, they prefer sending e-cards or text messages to everyone as it is more convenient and less time consuming,” ASSOCHAM said in a release.
Greeting cards are slowly losing their charm due to the emergence of newer technologies, smaller households, and the ability of people to create their own greeting cards. Rise of the Internet and mobile phones as a medium for socialising too is affecting the market, said DS Rawat, ASSOCHAM secretary-general, while releasing the survey. “Convenient and cost-effective alternatives are hampering the traditional greeting card marker”, he said.
Around 55 per cent of the survey respondents were in the age bracket of 20-29 years, followed by 30-39 years (26 per cent), 40-49 years (16 per cent), 50-59 years (2 per cent) and 60-69 years (approximately 1 per cent).
The survey was conducted in the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabd, Pune, Chandigarh and Dehradun.
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