Greeting Cards Market in India 2012

Greeting card is not just a small piece of printed paper or hand painted card but it has got a lot more of importance. Traditionally, it has been a medium to express love, affection, care and lot more emotions to friends, family members and well-wishers. These cards provide a gentle and emotional way to express the feelings from the sender towards the receiver in the most appropriate way.

The report begins with the introduction section which offers a brief insight into the Social Expression Industry of India which consists of both gifting and greeting cards. Types of greeting cards occasions are discussed later. The market overview section provides an insight into the Indian greetings card market and then moves on to the most popular occasions for greeting cards sales. A preference shift of consumers from greeting cards to gifting is also shown. The different types of distribution channels are also shown which is followed by a timeline which depicts the various milestones in the greeting cards industry.

An analysis of the drivers explains the factors for growth of the greeting cards industry. Demand for plastic packaging is expected to increase with the growth of young-age population in India. Rising disposable income is also increasing sales of cards. There is enough potential for this market to grow due to the low per capita consumption of cards coupled with a general emotional nature among Indians. The key challenges include advent of E-Cards, popularity of social networking sites and also the use of SMS, MMS and phone calls while greeting someone. The EX-IM figures of greeting cards for the last three fiscal years are also shown.

A brief overview of the current trends prevalent with the greeting cards market which includes increasing preference of diversification of greeting cards players, customized greeting cards, emergence of corporate cards, licensing agreements with foreign brands and emergence of new greeting card occasions.

The competition section begins with the Porter's Five Forces Analysis, illustrating the competitive rivalry, bargaining power of suppliers and buyers and threat of new entrants and substitutes. It outlays the competitive landscape of the greeting cards market in India briefing about the domestic players existing in the market. This section provides a three dimensional analysis of domestic key players' revenues, profits and market capitalization. The report also features brief profiles of major domestic players in the market and a snapshot of their corporation, financial performance along with the key financial ratios, business highlights and their product portfolio providing an insight into the existing competitive scenario.

The report concludes with a section on strategic recommendations which comprises an analysis of the growth strategies for the greeting cards market in India.