The Australia Greetings Card Market

So many people like to make their own cards as their hobby and many make them to sell as well. With so many people making their own you would have thought it would put a big dent in the greetings card industry but I think we all have a long way to go to do that.

I found some interesting facts and figures about the Australian greetings card market. It really is food for thought.

Australian Greeting Card Association Industry Synopsis

The Australian Greeting Card industry contributes a significant component to the Australian retail environment.
Some interesting statistics:

Market Dimensions

Retail Sales:
Greeting Cards $500million
Gift Wrappings $100million

Consumption Rate 22 cards per person per annum
Australia is third largest market per capita in the world

Retail Outlets Estimated at 27,000 plus

Retail Market Shares:
Newsagents 33%
Discount Department Stores 16%
Card & Gift shops 16%
Supermarkets 12%
Other Miscellaneous Outlets 5%
Department Stores 7%
Deep Discount Outlets 9%
Australia Post 3%
(Note: This is best estimation on information available)

Employment
People employed 20,000 approximately

Market Share
Dominated by two major companies with over two thirds market share

Trends
Ink on paper communications continue to grow despite a significant increase in competition from new avenues of communication. Examples being electronic greetings, e-mail and SMS messaging. However, people still prefer the designs and sentiments (wording) of cards designed and made available from the professional resources of greeting card publishers. Although Australian consumers have a diverse range of tastes and preferences traditional designs and words are still very popular, although there is a trend toward less wordy cards.