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<\/p>\nPrinted holiday cards are easy to underestimate.<\/p>\n
They arrive during a season dominated by promotional emails, social posts, and digital offers. Yet that contrast is precisely what gives a physical card its value. It requires a little more intention \u2013 and recipients notice.<\/p>\n
For print resellers and distributors, holiday cards offer more than a short-lived seasonal sale. They can open conversations about customer appreciation, retention, segmentation, and year-round relationship programs.<\/p>\n
The key is knowing where to look.<\/p>\n
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A national study published by the Greeting Card Association found that approximately one-third of U.S. small businesses sent greeting cards during the winter holiday season. Of the cards they sent, 87.6%<\/strong> were physical rather than electronic. The study estimated that small businesses collectively mailed nearly 150 million<\/strong> winter holiday cards. (source:<\/em> omsgca.wpenginepowered.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n The research was conducted in 2022, so its market estimate shouldn\u2019t be treated as an exact 2026 count. More recent findings, however, reinforce the continued appeal of printed cards.<\/p>\n In a 2026 survey of Americans who recalled receiving business holiday cards, 85%<\/strong> said they enjoyed receiving them. Physical cards were preferred by 53%<\/strong> of respondents, compared with only 9%<\/strong> who preferred digital cards. Half said holiday cards reinforced a positive impression of the sender, and 49%<\/strong> said receiving one made them more likely to continue using that business.<\/p>\n These findings reflect self-reported attitudes, not a guaranteed return on every mailing. But they do challenge the assumption that customers view printed holiday cards as outdated or unwelcome.<\/p>\n A printed card isn\u2019t trying to beat email on speed. Its advantage is intention.<\/p>\n Most business holiday cards aren\u2019t sent to strangers.<\/p>\n The Greeting Card Association study found that 91.4%<\/strong> of card-sending small businesses mailed them to current customers. Another 65%<\/strong> included former customers, while 39%<\/strong> sent cards to prospective customers. The most common reasons businesses gave for sending them centered on relationships and gratitude. (source:<\/em> omsgca.wpenginepowered.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n That makes holiday cards a natural fit for customer retention, reactivation, and referral strategies.<\/p>\n They give businesses a timely reason to:<\/strong><\/p>\n Unlike a promotional postcard, a holiday card can create goodwill without immediately asking for another purchase. The branding is present, but appreciation leads the message.<\/p>\n That distinction matters. If the card feels like a disguised advertisement, much of its relational value can disappear.<\/p>\n Which businesses should you approach?<\/p>\n Industry is helpful, but business model is an even better indicator.<\/p>\n The national study found that businesses with \u201cclients with files\u201d \u2013 such as insurance agencies with individual customer policies \u2013 sent holiday cards at significantly higher rates than businesses serving primarily anonymous or walk-in customers.<\/p>\n In other words, the best prospects tend to know exactly who their customers are.<\/p>\n Their revenue may depend on renewals, referrals, repeat appointments, recurring purchases, memberships, donations, or long-term accounts. These organizations already possess the most important ingredient for a holiday-card program: a meaningful recipient list.<\/p>\n Prospect categories include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Recent recipient research follows a similar pattern. Consumers most frequently recalled receiving holiday cards from insurance, healthcare, personal-service, financial, retail, restaurant, professional-service, nonprofit, real-estate, and home-service organizations.<\/p>\n Before deciding whether an account is a good prospect, ask:<\/strong><\/p>\n The opportunity may already be sitting inside your account list.<\/p>\n Holiday-card opportunities are not limited to national corporations mailing tens of thousands of pieces.<\/p>\n Among small businesses that sent winter holiday cards, the median mailing quantity was 50\u201399 cards. Approximately 37% sent 50\u2013199, while another 20.6% sent 200\u2013999. A smaller segment mailed quantities ranging from 1,000 to nearly 25,000.<\/p>\n That creates room for several types of orders:<\/strong><\/p>\n A 75-card order may not look like a major opportunity in isolation. But if it includes customization, envelopes<\/a>, labels<\/a>, and an annual reorder, its value changes. It may also introduce broader needs for thank-you cards, welcome cards, anniversary communications, and other relationship-focused print.<\/p>\n Businesses generally want holiday cards to arrive in late November or early December, but the work begins much earlier.<\/p>\n An analysis of six years of B2B holiday-card orders found that demand started in September, increased through October, peaked around mid-to-late November, and tapered through December. Finance orders peaked in late October, while real estate, healthcare, and industrial\/manufacturing orders peaked around mid-November. Legal firms tended to order later, peaking in early December.<\/p>\n Waiting until customers begin actively searching in November leaves less time for thoughtful personalization, list preparation, and internal approvals.<\/p>\n A more effective sales calendar looks like this:<\/strong><\/p>\n Late Summer\/Early Fall:<\/strong> Identify prospects, review previous orders, introduce ideas, and check out designs online.<\/p>\n September:<\/strong> Discuss audience, quantity, budget, design direction, messaging, and mailing requirements.<\/p>\n October:<\/strong> Finalize quantities, collect logos and signatures, approve artwork, and place orders.<\/p>\n November:<\/strong> Follow up with late buyers and focus on options that fit the remaining production window.<\/p>\n December:<\/strong> Redirect customers with tight timelines toward New Year cards, which can arrive after the most crowded portion of the holiday season.<\/p>\n Early conversations do more than protect production time. They give customers space to make the card more meaningful.<\/p>\n One of the biggest barriers to sending holiday cards is not a lack of interest. It\u2019s the perceived amount of work.<\/p>\n Businesses may need to choose a design, find a logo, write a message, gather signatures, clean a mailing list, address envelopes, apply postage, and get everything into the mail during an already busy quarter.<\/p>\n The Greeting Card Association study found that the most common reasons businesses didn\u2019t send cards were time, cost, uncertainty about their value, and concerns about whether cards fit their customers.<\/p>\n You can reduce those barriers by offering a more complete program:<\/strong><\/p>\n The conversation changes when a customer hears, \u201cWe can help you manage more elements,\u201d instead of, \u201cWould you like to order some cards?\u201d<\/p>\n A bulk order doesn\u2019t have to feel mass-produced.<\/p>\n In the 2026 recipient survey, the most memorable attributes of business holiday cards were effort and care, messages of gratitude, and thoughtful or creative design. 63%<\/strong> of respondents considered handwritten messages or signatures very or extremely important. 57%<\/strong> placed the same level of importance on including the recipient\u2019s name.<\/p>\n You can help customers make a more meaningful impression by recommending:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHappy Holidays,\u201d \u201cSeason\u2019s Greetings,\u201d and neutral winter imagery offer broad appeal. Christmas-specific, faith-based, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, and New Year options may be appropriate for more clearly defined audiences.<\/p>\n The goal is not to choose one greeting that works for every business. It\u2019s to help each customer choose the right message for its relationships.<\/p>\n The most valuable conversation may begin with holiday cards but continue well beyond December.<\/p>\n Businesses that depend on relationships have other reasons to connect throughout the year:<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Industry-AccountingBlogBAN.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nThink retention before promotion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/h3>\nThe best prospects have \u201cclients with files\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/h3>\nDon\u2019t overlook modest quantities<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/h3>\nStart the conversation before the customer feels the deadline<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nSell the program \u2013 not only the card<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nPersonal touches create the value<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nOne holiday order can lead to a year-round program<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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