Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US - Market Research Report (2014-2029)
New York, United States
Last Updated: May 2024
NAICS 51119Revenue
$5.7bn
Past 5-Year Growth
Profit
$XX.Xm
Employees
15,493
Businesses
787
Wages
$XXX.Xm
Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry analysis
The proliferation of paperless substitutes has dampened revenue for the industry. Many products, such as greeting cards, day planners and calendars, have increasingly been rendered obsolete as more consumers prefer digital alternatives, aided by the ubiquity of the smartphone. A significant portion of consumers that purchased greeting cards for holidays and birthdays in the past now reach out to friends and family via social media. As many downstream markets have consolidated, such as brick-and-mortar bookstore retailers, the industry has grappled with fewer retailers selling products. Overall, industry revenue is expected to decline at a CAGR of 4.3%, totaling an estimated $5.7 billion in 2024. Revenue is expected to fall 2.2% in 2024 alone, as industry profit slips to a meager 1.3%.
Trends and Insights
- Digital substitutes have been trending and have increasingly sapped away demand from greeting card publishers. This effect has been exacerbated by the disruption of brick-and-mortar stores by the pandemic, leading to revenue declines.
- Strong seasonal demand for greeting cards, coupled with growing penetration from digital substitutes, has contributed to industry declines. This volatility has been offset by durable sales of yearbooks, calendars and other products that rely on the educational market.
- The industry generally follows the population distribution, with companies situating themselves in dense, populous areas. Regions such as the Southeast, West and Mid-Atlantic represent a proportional number of industry establishments in terms of their respective population share.
- Due to the industry's diverse product portfolio, greeting card and other publishers compete on several factors. Price-based competition is an integral basis of competition for industry enterprises.
Industry Overview
Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 4.3 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $5.7bn in 2024.
Trends and Insights
The emergence of digital substitutes has threatened industry performance
- The industry has contended with growing competition from low-cost digital alternatives and no-cost social media interaction.
- Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Source: IBISWorld
Industry outlook (2024-2029)
Market size is projected to decline over the next five years.
Trends and Insights
Industry struggles continue as revenue and profit waver
- The industry will continue to struggle to generate revenue due to mounting external competition and the lingering effects of the pandemic on the broader retail sector.
Biggest companies in the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US
| Company | Market Share (%)
2024 | Revenue ($m)
2024 | Profit ($m)
2024 | Profit Margin (%)
2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hallmark Cards Inc. | 708.9 | 94.0 | 13.3 | |
American Greetings Corp | 594.3 | 50.6 | 8.5 |
To view the market share and analysis for all 2 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.
Products & Services Segmentation
Source: IBISWorld
Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Greeting cards (single), Greeting cards (box sets) and Consumer publishing . Greeting cards (single) is the largest segment of the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US.
Trends and Insights
Greeting cards experience seasonal demand
- Greeting card sales of both single items and cards sold in box sets will together account for over three-quarters of industry revenue, making them the single largest product category.
- More insights available in the full report
Widen you competitive advantage with related industries
Competitors
- There are no industries to display.
Complementors
- Gift Shops & Card Stores in the US
- Newspaper Publishing in the US
- Magazine & Periodical Publishing in the US
- Book Publishing in the US
International industries
- Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in Canada
Table of Contents
About this industry
Industry definition
This industry comprises publishers that primarily publish greeting cards in print or electronic form. Some companies also publish products such as postcards, calendars, coloring books, yearbooks and more. This industry excludes newspaper, magazine, book, directory, map, atlas, database and music publishers.
What's included in this industry?
Greeting card publishing (single)Greeting card publishing (boxset)Consumer publishingBusiness, trade and professional publicationsContract publishingAdvertising spaceDigital and quick printingCompanies
Hallmark Cards Inc.American Greetings CorpPurchase this report to view all 2 major companies in this industry.
Related Terms
LICENSINGELECTRONIC ORGANIZERE-CARDSMARTPHONEPERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT (PDA)Industry Code
NAICS 51119 - Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US
Performance
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Analyst insights
Digital substitutes have been trending and have increasingly sapped away demand from greeting card publishers. This effect has been exacerbated by the disruption of brick-and...
In this chapter (4)
- Current Performance
- Outlook
- Volatility
- Life Cycle
Key metrics
- Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
- Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
- Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
- Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business
Charts
- Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
- Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
- Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
- Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
- Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
- Industry Life Cycle
Detailed analysis
- Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
- Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
- Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
- How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.
Products and Markets
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Analyst insight
Strong seasonal demand for greeting cards, coupled with growing penetration from digital substitutes, has contributed to industry declines. This volatility has been offset by...
In this chapter
- Products & Services
- Major Markets
Key metrics
- Largest market segment and value in 2024
- Product innovation level
Charts
- Products & services segmentation in 2024
- Major market segmentation in 2024
Detailed analysis
- Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
- Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
- Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
- Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
Geographic Breakdown
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Analyst insights
The industry generally follows the population distribution, with companies situating themselves in dense, populous areas. Regions such as the Southeast, West and Mid-Atlantic...
In this chapter (1)
- Business Locations
Charts
- Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each state
- Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024
Tables
- Number and share of establishments in each state in 2024
- Number and share of revenue each state accounts for in 2024
- Number and share of wages each state accounts for in 2024
- Number and share of employees in each state in 2024
Detailed analysis
- Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
- Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage
Competitive Forces
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Analyst insights
Due to the industry's diverse product portfolio, greeting card and other publishers compete on several factors. Price-based competition is an integral basis of competition fo...
In this chapter (4)
- Concentration
- Barriers to Entry
- Substitutes
- Buyer & Supplier Analysis
Key metrics
- Industry concentration level
- Industry competition level and trend
- Barriers to entry level and trend
- Substitutes level and trend
- Buyer power level and trend
- Supplier power level and trend
Charts
- Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
- Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart
Detailed analysis
- Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
- Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
- Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
- Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
- Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
- Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
- Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
- Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
- Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.
Companies
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Analyst insights
In 2018, American Greetings was acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), a private equity firm. Following the acquisition, CD&R now has a 60.0% stake in American Greeting...
In this chapter
- Market Share Concentration
- Companies
- Company Spotlights
Charts
- Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
- Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024
- Overview of Hallmark Cards Inc.'s performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
- Overview of American Greetings Corp's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
Detailed analysis
- Description and key data for Hallmark Cards Inc., and factors influencing its performance in the industry
- Description and key data for American Greetings Corp, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
External Environment
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Analyst insights
Rising e-commerce sales are indicative of trending digitalization that has threatened the industry. Population dynamics have supported the industry to offset added external c...
In this chapter
- External Drivers
- Regulation & Policy
- Assistance
Key metrics
- Regulation & policy level and trend
- Assistance level and trend
Charts
- Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029)
- Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029)
Detailed analysis
- Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
- Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
- Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.
Financial Benchmarks
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Analyst insights
High paper prices have pressured profitability and added to purchase costs for industry enterprises. Profit has particularly waned as the industry has been plagued by declini...
In this chapter
- Cost Structure
- Financial Ratios
- Key Ratios
Key metrics
- Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
- Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
- Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
- Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio
Charts
- Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
- Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
- Investment vs. share of economy
Data tables
- Industry Multiples (2017-2022)
- Industry Tax Structure (2017-2022)
- Income Statement (2017-2022)
- Balance Sheet (2017-2022)
- Liquidity Ratios (2017-2022)
- Coverage Ratios (2017-2022)
- Leverage Ratios (2017-2022)
- Operating Ratios (2017-2022)
- Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
- Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
- Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
- Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
- Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
- Average Wage (2014-2029)
- Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
- Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
- IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
- Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
- Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)
Detailed analysis
- Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability
Key Statistics
Industry Data
Data Tables
Including values and annual change:
- Revenue (2014-2029)
- IVA (2014-2029)
- Establishments (2014-2029)
- Enterprises (2014-2029)
- Employment (2014-2029)
- Exports (2014-2029)
- Imports (2014-2029)
- Wages (2014-2029)
Methodology
How are IBISWorld reports created?
IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.
Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.
IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.
What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?
Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.
Key data sources in the US include:
- US Census Bureau
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- US International Trade Commission
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
- Industry and trade associations
- Industry federations or regulators
- Major industry players annual or quarterly filings
Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.
How does IBISWorld forecast its data?
IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.
Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.
What is the market size of the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States in 2024?
The market size of the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States is $5.7bn in 2024.
How many businesses are there in the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in 2024?
There are 787 businesses in the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States, which has grown at a CAGR of 4.4 % between 2019 and 2024.
Has the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States has been declining at a CAGR of 4.3 % between 2019 and 2024.
What is the forecast growth of the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States is expected to decline.
What are the biggest companies in the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US market in United States?
The biggest companies operating in the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing market in United States are Hallmark Cards Inc. and American Greetings Corp
What does the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US in United States include?
Greeting card publishing (single) and Greeting card publishing (boxset) are part of the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US in United States?
The company holding the most market share in United States is Hallmark Cards Inc..
How competitive is the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States?
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Greeting Cards & Other Publishing in the US industry in United States.
