TMCnet News
Fewer greeting cards in the mail [New Straits Time (Malaysia)](New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) DYING RITUAL: Receiving a greeting card in the mail used to be one of the little pleasures people enjoyed during festive seasons. However, the advent of the Internet and social media is killing off the sending and receiving of greeting cards, writes Laili Ismail HECTIC lives and long working or studying hours mean people have minimal time to get pre-Hari Raya rituals done and the tradition of sending and receiving greeting cards also seem to be getting rare. Rayhan Mohamad, 25, a tech-savvy lawyer, said she would not want to wait for days for a card to be received by her recipient and prefers to do everything "right there and then". "I used to only send greeting cards to close friends when I was a teenager. Now I send my greetings through Whatsapp, email, SMS and phone calls. "I think buying and mailing greeting cards take too much time," she admitted. At Borders book store in the Bangsar Village II shopping complex, manager-in-training who only wanted to be known as Erna said the sales of Raya cards this year was not as encouraging as in previous years. "Those who buy the cards mostly choose the 5-in-1 or 6-in-1 promotional packets as they are cheaper." The same trend is evident at MPH bookstore in Bangsar, where the Raya cards sales is "just okay", according to a retail executive who identified herself as Pushpa. "I am familiar with the customers who buy these cards as they come every year," she said noting that most of them are those who work near the shopping complex where the book store is. "We are selling 5-in-1 packets of Raya cards at RM4.90 and RM9.90 each and these two packets are the best-sellers." The dying tradition of sending festive cards is also indicated in the total number of Hari Raya cards delivered by Pos Malaysia over the last few years. Last year, 3.6 million cards were delivered, whereas 3.91 million were sent in 2012 and 3.92 million in 2011. It is also interesting to note that 60 per cent of the cards were mailed form the National Mail Centre in Shah Alam while the least number of cards were mailed from Sabah. Pos Malaysia maintains that despite digital communications, sending greeting cards is still a heritage held dear by Malaysians during festive seasons. Last year, the national courier offered a promotional rate of 50 sen for postage of Hari Raya greeting cards to anywhere in Malaysia as opposed to the normal postage rate of 60 sen for items weighing below 20g and 70 sen for items below 50g. The promotional rate is also offered this year. "With the changing trends in communication which sees the use of social media, mobile and electronic alternatives, we understand that people prefer these alternatives. "However, many Malaysians still value the personal touch of sending a greeting card to wish their friends and loved ones - a practice we encourage," said a spokesman for Pos Malaysia. Memory Lane cards corporate sales manager Chan Kong Yuen echoes the sentiment, and saying that e-cards or wishes sent through digital platforms do not possess the sentimental value greeting cards do. He said the sales of Hari Raya greeting cards made by Memory Lane have gone down because of competition from other greeting cards companies and people's dependence on the Internet and smartphones. "Our business is not only hurting because of social media and instant messaging but also e-greeting cards. "We stick to the traditional method of printing our custom-made cards and designs but to catch up with the times we also sell them online per customers' requests, especially during Hari Raya and Chinese New Year". To encourage sales, Chan said they sell value packs containing 10 cards each as well as engage in email marketing every time a festive season is around the corner. A spokesman from greeting card company Carduta said sales had dropped over the years, especially in the recent decade. "These days corporate customers generate our sales whereas 10 years ago the bulk of our sales were generated by the retail market." The company uses Facebook and its website to promote its greeting cards and to connect with the younger crowd and encourage them to take up this dying ritual. (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |