Nowadays, all it takes to greet someone is to find a greeting card template on Google, edit it a little, and send it to a person through a private chat. However, even with these virtual greeting card innovations, nothing seems to fill a space in the heart as snugly as a physical greeting card.
A physical greeting card is like a pie that you can’t digest by merely looking a picture of it on the web. Thus, regardless of what generation you belong to, you would find a greeting card quaint and relevant, never antiquated. However, more than serving plain nostalgia, there are practical and unique reasons why greeting cards will still stick around.
1. Greeting cards feel more sincere and authentic
Just as a digital image of a pie is not “real” enough to fill one’s stomach, so are digital greeting cards lacking in the physical touch that imparts its authenticity. By going out of your way to get a greeting card and hand it out to someone in person, you show the recipient how much effort you exert in expressing care for them.
It’s the effort involved in giving out the card, not just the card itself, which counts. In contrast with “instant” gratification that comes with digital cards, physical cards carry with them more value that lets the recipient feel the sincerity and authenticity of the item they received.
2. Greeting cards help you express your emotions more concretely
The emotions you can associate with a digital image are fixed in a rigid box, even though you can modify these images with software.
However, these images still lack the subtleties in your emotion that only you can grasp and understand; physical greeting cards have that. Even if you don’t know what you feel or want to say, some cards bear pictures with no text that you can use to express your thoughts and feelings to your intended recipient. After all, pictures paint a thousand words — no sounds, no letters, but profound with meaning.
3. Greeting cards enhance empathy and engagement
Because of the authentic feel and subtleties that come with each card, it’s unsurprising that the recipient feels that you are trying to fit into their shoes. Consequently, they’ll feel more interested in your card, to the extent that they might consider sending you one as well. Greeting cards enhance bonds in a way that virtual cards can’t provide.
The images on the greeting card are unforgettable, for as long as you don’t keep them away from sight. In social media, however, new messages can pile up and render the digital card out of view eventually. Unless you print the card from your chatbox, you will soon forget that you had received a “card” from somebody. With an actual greeting card, all you can do is to frame it for continuity. The quality of the image and ink colours are impeccable as well.
4. You get to hold the card, and so would the recipient
Ultimately, what determines the charm and use value of a greeting card over that of a digital card sent over social media is its physical existence. Similar to how a real pie is delicious to eat and satisfy one’s hunger, so does the physical greeting card make it delightful for the eyes and fill one’s longing for real friendships and relationships.
The great irony of social media today is that while it enabled a smaller world for friends separated by time zones to meet and greet, it lacks depth and authenticity. Greeting cards are tangible reminders of those relationships, whether you’re offline or online most of the time.
People still value depth and warmth even with the advent of social media, and greeting cards are a way for people to keep the ember of friendly relations glowing.
Looking for a card for a particular occasion? Check out the designs we have available today!