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Published: October 19, 2006
As a legitimate alternative to traditional paper greeting cards, e-cards provide a variety of benefits to online consumers, such as convenience, low cost and the ability to customize a personal greeting.
As broadband continues to increase in rapid production, e-cards offer a higher level of creativity and personalization than was possible in the past. Though many people believe e-cards will not replace the sending of traditional cards for important events, they do believe electronic greetings may instead have a future as alternatives to gifts and candy.
Today, many online companies provide these inexpensive – often free – e-cards as an incentive to bring people back to their site. Various e-card providers, such as Blue Mountain, American Greetings and Hallmark, provide consumers with a wide selection of e-card options to allow them to send a personalized greeting to friends and loved ones.
Popular E-Card Providers
Blue Mountain
In 1996, Blue Mountain Arts was one of the first e-card providers to offer free electronic greetings to online consumers. Anticipating what the greeting card business might look like in the future, its free e-cards forced other online greeting card companies to take notice. As a result, Blue Mountain quickly became the leader in Web-based greeting cards.
According to Media Metrix in 1999, after acquiring more consumers of electronic greeting cards than all of their competitors combined, as well as 65 percent of the e-card market, Blue Mountain became the 14th most trafficked Web site. As of last fall, more than nine million users visited the site each month. Currently, Blue Mountain provides online consumers with almost 10,000 e-cards.
American Greetings
Since it began selling electronic greetings in the late 1990s, American Greetings has become one of the top e-card providers on the Internet today. As a way to compete with various free e-card providers, the company began to offer free e-cards in 2000. However, the company continues to try to convince people to buy subscriptions for access to the latest and greatest designs. With a yearly fee of just $13.95 for a basic membership, consumers have unlimited access to more than 8,000 cards created by an innovative staff based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Last year, more than two million subscribers paid for access to the wide variety of e-cards offered through the site. People are given the option to personalize their card with their own voice, as well as with one or more photographs. Also, the Seven Ways to Say ‘I Love You' card is the newest addition to the site. It sends a different greeting each day of the week, along with coupons for various romantic rendezvous, including romantic walks, dinners and movie dates.
Hallmark
As the largest greeting card company in the world, Hallmark began charging a fee for their e-card services in an attempt to compete with Blue Mountain for online business in the 1990s. Because they had the appearance of producing stylish-looking traditional cards, they hoped consumers would be willing to pay for higher quality online cards. Their decision to charge a fee for their services turned out to be the wrong choice. In late 1999, as a result of losing consumers to sites offering free electronic greetings, Hallmark became another e-card provider to offer free service to their online consumers.
With a slogan stating, For those who wish to send their very best! Hallmark now offers more than 1,000 free e-cards to their online consumers.
Sources:
Barnett, Michael. Implementation of E-Card Technology for DaySpring Cards, Inc. 30 April
2000. Dayspring. 15 Oct 2006. http://www.msbarnett.com/ed239/ecard.htm
Lindeman, Teresa F. Card makers see this year as a test for online greetings. Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette. 13 Feb 2005. PG Publishing Co. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05044/456822.stm< br />Regan, Keith. E card Makers Find Senders Willing to Pay. E-Commerce Times. 9 Dec 2005.
ECT News Network, Inc. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/47708.html
Tittel, Ed. E-cards go Everywhere the Internet Does: Surveying the e-card Landscape.
SAMS. 14 Dec 2001. Pearson Education. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.samspublishing.com/articles/article.a sp?p=24489&rl=1
As broadband continues to increase in rapid production, e-cards offer a higher level of creativity and personalization than was possible in the past. Though many people believe e-cards will not replace the sending of traditional cards for important events, they do believe electronic greetings may instead have a future as alternatives to gifts and candy.
Today, many online companies provide these inexpensive – often free – e-cards as an incentive to bring people back to their site. Various e-card providers, such as Blue Mountain, American Greetings and Hallmark, provide consumers with a wide selection of e-card options to allow them to send a personalized greeting to friends and loved ones.
Popular E-Card Providers
Blue Mountain
In 1996, Blue Mountain Arts was one of the first e-card providers to offer free electronic greetings to online consumers. Anticipating what the greeting card business might look like in the future, its free e-cards forced other online greeting card companies to take notice. As a result, Blue Mountain quickly became the leader in Web-based greeting cards.
According to Media Metrix in 1999, after acquiring more consumers of electronic greeting cards than all of their competitors combined, as well as 65 percent of the e-card market, Blue Mountain became the 14th most trafficked Web site. As of last fall, more than nine million users visited the site each month. Currently, Blue Mountain provides online consumers with almost 10,000 e-cards.
American Greetings
Since it began selling electronic greetings in the late 1990s, American Greetings has become one of the top e-card providers on the Internet today. As a way to compete with various free e-card providers, the company began to offer free e-cards in 2000. However, the company continues to try to convince people to buy subscriptions for access to the latest and greatest designs. With a yearly fee of just $13.95 for a basic membership, consumers have unlimited access to more than 8,000 cards created by an innovative staff based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Last year, more than two million subscribers paid for access to the wide variety of e-cards offered through the site. People are given the option to personalize their card with their own voice, as well as with one or more photographs. Also, the Seven Ways to Say ‘I Love You' card is the newest addition to the site. It sends a different greeting each day of the week, along with coupons for various romantic rendezvous, including romantic walks, dinners and movie dates.
Hallmark
As the largest greeting card company in the world, Hallmark began charging a fee for their e-card services in an attempt to compete with Blue Mountain for online business in the 1990s. Because they had the appearance of producing stylish-looking traditional cards, they hoped consumers would be willing to pay for higher quality online cards. Their decision to charge a fee for their services turned out to be the wrong choice. In late 1999, as a result of losing consumers to sites offering free electronic greetings, Hallmark became another e-card provider to offer free service to their online consumers.
With a slogan stating, For those who wish to send their very best! Hallmark now offers more than 1,000 free e-cards to their online consumers.
Sources:
Barnett, Michael. Implementation of E-Card Technology for DaySpring Cards, Inc. 30 April
2000. Dayspring. 15 Oct 2006. http://www.msbarnett.com/ed239/ecard.htm
Lindeman, Teresa F. Card makers see this year as a test for online greetings. Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette. 13 Feb 2005. PG Publishing Co. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05044/456822.stm< br />Regan, Keith. E card Makers Find Senders Willing to Pay. E-Commerce Times. 9 Dec 2005.
ECT News Network, Inc. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/47708.html
Tittel, Ed. E-cards go Everywhere the Internet Does: Surveying the e-card Landscape.
SAMS. 14 Dec 2001. Pearson Education. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.samspublishing.com/articles/article.a sp?p=24489&rl=1
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