Grußkarten: Handgeschriebene Grüße im KI-Zeitalter – funktioniert das?

In today's AI-driven world, handwritten greeting cards still hold value, but their future remains uncertain. Burkhard Schepermann, co-founder of Hamburg-based publisher Papiernest, once worked on greeting card development. When people ask him about his job, he proudly mentions his role in developing greeting cards. However, he often faces skepticism when they question the profitability of the industry.

Schepermann and his partner Constantin von Braun founded Papiernest over 15 years ago, focusing on businesses related to anniversary, wedding, and birthday cards – known as occasion cards. The company now earns millions in annual revenue, with a goal to triple their sales within the next five to seven years. However, market projections suggest that the growth rate of the greeting and occasion card market may not exceed 1% annually, and the overall industry revenue has decreased from 789 million euros in 2019 to 753 million euros in the previous year.

Despite this, Papiernest remains optimistic about their paper-based products. They attribute this to their offline business approach, as they believe smaller retailers have difficulty competing with large online platforms and e-commerce giants. The company has not established an online shop for greeting cards, focusing instead on gaining market share through offline sales.

Papiernest has expanded by acquiring competitors, such as the Swiss market leader ABC, but integration proved to be a significant challenge. The company currently operates as one of the top five providers of greeting cards in Germany and has gained contracts with major retailers. However, the number of handmade handwritten cards transported by the German Post has halved since 2017, with only about 95 million cards now being sent annually.

Despite this decline, a Forsa survey shows that two-thirds of respondents still appreciate receiving handwritten notes more than digital greetings, calls, or emails. But can handwritten greeting cards remain relevant in an increasingly digital world?