Ofcom’s International Communications Market Report has confirmed that UK consumers still lead the rest of the world when it comes to sending greetings cards, sending more than any of the 17 countries surveyed.
The research examined key market developments in the postal sector in each country, including volumes and revenue trends over the past five years, plus consumer trends in sending and receiving mail and their perceived reliance on post as a means of communication.
Over a third (37%) of UK adults said they had sent a greetings card, invitation or postcard in the post in the last month – the highest in the world and beating Australia into second spot (34%). Consumers in France were the least likely to send greetings cards, with only 17% saying they had done so – half the amount in the UK.
Other countries surveyed included China, where 33% of consumers said they had sent a greetings card, invitation or postcard in the last month, compared to Italy (30%) Spain (19%) and Japan (23%).
James Thickett, Ofcom’s Director of Research, said: ‘Although we’re all increasingly using digital methods of communication, our research shows that the traditional greetings card still remains a popular choice for UK consumers.’
Across the 17 comparator countries overall mail volume fell by 18% since 2006. Taken as a whole, volumes have fallen from 355 billion to 288 billion items. The UK, Italy and Spain have seen the largest declines, with mail volumes in each falling by 25% from 2006 to 2011. The only countries where mail volumes increased over this period were Brazil, Russia and China, with the largest growth (12%) happening in the Russian market.
It was also found that mail markets in Sweden and the Netherlands generate the greatest revenue per head of population. The highest revenue per head of population of all of our comparator countries was generated in Sweden (£135.6) and the Netherlands (£124.7). The comparable figure for the UK was £106.6.
Image is of cards available from the Fitzwilliam Museum online shop
