Interactive E-cards

Have you ever sent someone an animated greeting card for their birthday because you wanted to make them laugh? Or maybe you sent your sister an online audio card for Christmas because you know how much she enjoys listening to music. And you probably sent a flower e-card to your mom for Mother’s Day because gardening is her favorite hobby, right? Okay, so what type of card do you send someone who spends the majority of their time playing games online?  Perhaps you should consider sending an interactive e-card.

Formatted with simple controls, interactive e-cards are similar to online games in that they allow recipients to interact with the card. An immediate effect takes place once the receiver clicks on a specific button on the screen, thus encouraging further interaction.

As the sender, not only will you be able to customize the front and end screens with your message, but you will also be able to choose the level of interaction you would like included in the card.

Hallmark spokesperson Kristi Ernsting says, “E-cards bring together Hallmark’s creativity with innovative technology, and allow us to respond in a timely way to current events—more so than we can in paper cards—to give people ways to connect with each other online.”

Why are Interactive E-cards so Popular?

According to Patti Freeman-Evans, an e-commerce analyst for Jupiter Research, $52 million in e-cards were bought and sold in 2003; she estimates this figure will increase to $79 million in 2007. 

Even though various Web sites do not charge for cards sent via the Internet, many predict a growth spurt of online greeting card purchases driven by several factors:

•    Freeman-Evans believes the increase in the e-card market will be aided by “the demographics of online becoming more like the offline world.”

•    Director of content management for AmericanGreetings.com says, “Interactive greetings are becoming more popular because of (the growth in) high bandwidth connections.”

•    The increase in online greeting card companies

•    The rise of search engine keyword positioning as a marketing tool

Where to Find Interactive E-cards

With such a broad selection of Web sites offering interactive e-cards, selecting the right greeting card can be a challenge. Listed below are some of the most popular online greeting card Web sites, each with their own personal selection of easy to create interactive e-cards

http://www.bluemountain.com
Recognized as the king of online greetings, Blue Mountain Arts offers a wide range of interactive e-card choices including great animation, large music selection and fun, interactive images.  Also, your card is available for viewing for up to 90 days after it has been sent.

http://www.egreetings.com
With cards divided into 13 categories and a variety of subcategories, which includes an interactive e-card category, Egreetings.com offers a plethora of choices. You do not have to be a member to send an e-card from this site, but if you do choose to join, you will be able to check the status of each card you send.

http://www.123greetings.com
If you create an interactive e-card with 123greetings.com, you can schedule a card to be sent at a future date, and if you decide to cancel delivery, you have the option to stop it from being sent out at all. Also, you can choose to receive e-mail notification once your card has been received by the recipient.

http://www.americangreetings.comOffering a wide selection of interactive e-cards, americangreetings.com allows you to select any date up to three months from the date you create the card for delivery.

To find other Web sites offering free or low-priced interactive e-cards, visit your favorite search engine and type “interactive e-cards” (or other related key words) into the search box.  Possible search engines may include:

•    http://www.google.com
•    http://www.yahoo.com
•    http://www.go.com
•    http://www.altavista.com

Sending Your Card

Once you find a site you enjoy, you must follow a few steps before sending your interactive e-card:

1.    Select a category
2.    Click on a thumbnail image of the greeting you want to use for your card
3.    Fill in the names and e-mail addresses of the sender and recipient
4.    Add a personal message
5.    Make any additional changes/edits to color, background, text
6.    Send your card

If you want to brighten someone’s day and give them something fun to do, send them an interactive e-card. 


Sources:
“Interactive e-card.”  Byron-Elliott.  23 Sept 2006. 
http://www.byronelliott.co.uk/offer_ecard.htm
“Online Greeting Cards:  A Fun, Easy & Inexpensive Way To Send Cards.  Smart Computing.
April 2001.  Vol.9, Issue 4:  pgs.115-116. Internet. 23 Sept 2006.
http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article. asp?article=articles/archive/g0904/64g04/64g04.asp />Shaw, Russell.  “More Web Users Getting Carded.”  01 March 2004.  iMediaconnection.
23 Sept 2006.  http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/2890.asp