More than 300 MILLION SMILES PER YEAR ! ZOOM IN ON THE POSTCARD MARKET
In an economic context where impulse buyings strongly fall : The part of impulse buyings in the housewifes supermarket trolley passes from 23 % to 13 % in 4 years**, the market plays the game well with a decline of only 0,5 % in volume. The study also shows interesting perspectives of development : the specialised circuits are in growth.
The card market is composed of :
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 Postcards :
They are simple cards representing for example a touristic place.
The seasonality is very strong for the postcards among which 81 % of sales are realised during the summer period.
A very seasonal market governed by seasons and festivities, tourist attendance rates and by the weather...
The average price for postcards is 0,40€.
Cards :
A card that opens that is send for a birth, a wedding, a birthday or New Year...
44% of the turnover is realised on the last quarter of year 2009, because of Christmas and New Year.
The sector has some potential considering the consumer habits of French people, which are very below those of their European neighbours (in average 7 cards send per year in France, 54 in Great Britain, 42 in the Netherlands).
The average price for cards is 2,85€.
Gift wrap :
Everything that is used to wrap gifts : wrapping paper, gift bags, Curling ribbon, tissue paper...
There also the seasonality is very strong in Novembre and Decembre.
The average price for wrap gift products is 2,33€.
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Distribution channels
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Specialised channels :
They are first : For postcards or fancy cards, French people prefere specialists. The specialised channel represents 50% of the sales in France. The Le circuit spécialisé totalise 50% des ventes en France. stationer's stores (+ 0,5%) et the cultural shops (+1,5%) are in growth. Fournituristes are stable.
The generals :
saw their sales yielding of 5,3 % in 2009.
Mail-order selling and various :
It is non-governmental organisations, post offices, and the other selling points … They cannot be covered by the Gfk study. The economic indicators show stability in the sales.
The market share of the different distribution channels
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Annual consumption of cards per inhabitant
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What about tomorrow ?
Pleasure purchase or useful purchase, the cards are anchored in the consumer habits of the French people, and approved by a large majority as the best way of express feelings to someone. The Editions Yvon / GfK ISL survey at the end of 2009*** shows that for about 70 % of the French people it is the privileged support, in front of digital technology.
Stationary has a good future planned, and many smiles to be made...
*The GfK/UPCP study was on cash payment sales of postcards and gift wrap from january 2008 to decembre 2009. 7000 selling points were audited, which is more than fifty different brands. For the other channels, figures are estimated from a I+C and UPCP study.
** Source IRI France
*** Editions Yvon GfK/ILS study concerning 1 000 homes.
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The postcard market