Christmas Card Shortages Reported, Demand Fueled by Holiday Business Cards

Plano, Texas (PRWEB) December 12, 2005

CardsDirect.com, a Christmas card company that has been experiencing tremendous growth in recent years, is reporting another banner year of business this holiday season – and stock running low on many designs.

Sales are up in both business Christmas cards and personalized holiday cards, as well as in greeting cards in general, said CardsDirect Inc President Ward Mahowald. In addition, related card-making companies contacted by CardsDirect have also reported an increase in sales, indicating the entire industry is experiencing an exceptional year.

Mahowald attributes his company’s sales increase to the exceptional value of personalized Christmas cards (compared to retail boxed cards), which allows a customer to easily place an order with their name imprinted in the cards for about the same cost as boxed cards. In addition, he said, sales have increased dramatically among business clients who purchase holiday card designs in bulk for mailing to customers and associates.

This season the company, in anticipation of demand, has expanded its entire inventory and added several lines of photo Christmas cards in response to a surge of sales that caused the company to run out of stock last year. Even with these additions, though, the company is still finding it difficult to keep up with this year’s holiday orders. Demand for photo Christmas cards in particular are so high the company is temporarily placing a limit on the number it ships to individual customers. The company is also no longer taking orders for logo cards this season because of existing workload and time constraints.

Photo Christmas Cards have proven popular among those who like to personalize their cards by sending in a photo or piece of artwork that the company scans and returns by mail once the proofing of the card is finished (or by submitting a digital version of the photo), said Mahowald. Photos often include family members, office staff, pets, or anything else the customer dreams up.

In addition to thousands of individuals and other smaller businesses who have already ordered the company’s cards, seven out of 10 companies on the Fortune 100 list — including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp., General Motors Inc. and General Electric Co. — have previously entrusted CardsDirect to supply them with their holiday card needs.

About CardDirect Inc:

CardsDirect Inc, founded in 1998, is headquartered in Plano, Texas and has been recognized five years running as a distinguished dealer from industry leaders and manufacturers. It sells quality business Christmas cards, all occasion greeting cards, and other personalized holiday cards to tens of thousands of individuals and businesses, with orders ranging from 25 cards to 25,000 cards. Other product lines include cards for anniversaries, birthdays, sympathies, Thanksgiving and many other occasions and holidays.

The company’s distinctive and expressive card designs are designed to deliver a quality image – many featuring rich embossing, die cuts, generous foils deckle edges and lined envelopes. The company can personalize these cards by professionally printing the customer’s name or message inside, printing a business logo, printing signatures, and printing a return address on the envelope flap.

Press Contact:

For more information about the company’s Christmas card products and its holiday card products, or to arrange for an interview, contact Ward Mahowald at 1-800-700-5030 or visit CardsDirect.

###