It seems like everything is being done electronically now…even sending our thoughts to loved ones. The ease of sending online greetings is appealing to many people in this harried world we live in today. With so many people having email service at work and at home, it makes it much easier to stay in touch with each other. We can pass on a quick e-card to let a friend, relative or loved one know that we are thinking of them without having to go to a store, wrestle the crowds, pay $5+ for the card, contribute to the killing of more trees and impact on Global Warming, only to have the card thrown away after a few weeks of admiration.
This Valentine’s Day, I took a look at two companies that are very strong in the traditional greeting card market. Blue Mountain.com is an affiliate of American Greetings, a public company in business since 1906, with reported $1.7 billion in consolidated net revenues for 2006 (see AmericanGreetings.com for annual report). This site has several free e-cards which can be sent without signing up for a membership. However, the many benefits of the product, along with a large selection of e-cards for all occasions are only available to members. The membership is $29.99 for 1 year and, although a free 30 day trial membership is offered, credit card information is required during this sign-up process. This is probably less than you would pay in a year for traditional purchased cards, and provides access to some very good services.
BlueMountain.com membership offers you access to, as noted above, a variety of e-cards for all occasions. In addition, there are services that allow you to create & print a card online. This is great if you want to take advantage of the flexibility of doing an e-card while being able to print and send to someone who does not have an email address. Another service that is included in the membership is an interactive desktop calendar. This can be utilized to input all important dates to remember, like a Birthday or Anniversary. The tool will provide a reminder on your desktop based on information you provide, like how far in advance you want a reminder, etc.
All in all, I felt that this site was very easy to use. It seems to be primarily aimed at a younger consumer, as the look and feel is very “cutesy”. Based on what is available, it is a good value for the annual membership price if this is a service which you feel you would use.
The other site I reviewed was Hallmark.com. Hallmark, a privately owned company founded in 1910, reported $4.1 billion in consolidated net revenues for 2006 (see Hallmark.com FAQ’s link). Again, this is a company that has a very strong market presence in the greeting card industry. Hallmark.com has taken a little different approach at the e-cards phenomena, with free e-cards as well as the ability to purchase “premium” e-cards individually. The site does require that you have a membership, but there is no membership fee to utilize the service and purchase the e-cards. In addition, you can do photo cards for various occasions, including announcements. There is also the ability to make gift and flower purchases through this site. This makes Hallmark.com a “one-stop-shopping” experience with a much reduced overhead. There is not the need to be locked into an annual fee, and you can complete a full package on the site with card and gift.
Between the two sites, I would probably use Hallmark.com since I can do free e-cards and have a membership already set up to purchase paper cards or premium e-cards at another time if needed. Furthermore, the ability to purchase gifts and flowers online through the same site makes this a much more desirable website service.
