Digital Is the New Print
Times are changing fast, and Gen Z and Millennials do not send or receive paper cards anymore.
What Is The Deal?
Printed greeting card sales are diminishing. The Papyrus retail chain recently announced the closing of all its locations as they filed for bankruptcy protection. Meanwhile, Hallmark Cards, a similar stationery retail chain, is trying to stay afloat by revamping operations.
— PAPYRUS (@Papyrus_Online) January 24, 2020
Clicking “Like”
Instead of sending a condolence or birthday card, the younger generation is latching on to short and sweet text messages to do the trick. Or, even better, just simply clicking ‘like’ on a social post to prove their engagement. With everything digital these days, it may seem there is no reason for snail mail–the simple task of navigating and addressing a paper letter can even look like rocket science to some.
Yesterday I assisted a young person with addressing an envelope and placing the stamps. Apparently, no one under 30 knows…
— Tanya Levin (@TanyaLevin) October 20, 2015
Look It Up
The Wall Street Journal reported that Molly Biwer, Hallmark’s senior vice president for public affairs, said in an interview, younger Americans “don’t even know, in some cases, how to address an envelope. They don’t have a stamp, or necessarily know how to buy a stamp. They don’t have addresses” (Terlep, 2020).
Fortunately, almost everyone has an address. Although these days, looking up an address takes mere seconds. Google Trends reported that between December 2004 and December 2019, the search term “address an envelope” skyrocketed in interest by upwards of 450 percent.
“Data source: Google Trends (https://www.google.com/trends).”
The Upside for Digital Platforms
Stationery and snail mail may be dwindling, but digital and mobile experience platforms are using it as an advantage. Mobile phones are attached to or beside users all day long. Quickly sliding it out of a pocket and looking something up is nearly a reflex.
The shift towards digital affects every industry as generations continue to opt for easier and quicker online interaction. No more paper letters or greeting cards, or hardcover books or magazines. Everything is sent through an email or text message or distributed online. Similar to the stationery industry, publishing is working through the same challenges: if paper is going away, how can we operate digitally?
Digital Magazine Publishing
For the publishing industry, the mobile user experience needs to be comfortable and seamless. The user does not want to pinch and zoom to see what they are reading. They want to scroll with ease as the template should be dynamic across devices.
Users can always visit websites, but the good news for magazine publishers is that reading a magazine on your phone is an incredible experience with eMagazines’ help. eMagazines automates the reflow for the publisher. From a PDF or source file to a beautiful mobile issue template, the mobile magazine experience is a breeze. eMagazines packages digital content for easy delivery and consumption.
Learn more on how eMagazines can help seamlessly and securely deliver publishers’ content to their end-users.
Randles, J. (2020, January 23). Greeting Cards Retailer Papyrus Files for Bankruptcy, Plans to Close Stores. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/greeting-cards-retailer-papyrus-files-for-bankruptcy-plans-to-close-stores-11579819638
Terlep, S. (2020, January 29). Hallmark Cards to Revamp Operations as Greeting Cards Fade. The Wall Street Journal, pp. B1–B6. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/hallmark-cards-to-revamp-operations-as-greeting-cards-fade-11580326513
Tori Matkin, Marketing Manager
