Christmas cards and other greetings are meant to make the recipient happy, and that is exactly what they do. Greetings delivered by mail are important for the recipients, as more than 50% of Finns consider Christmas cards, letters and parcels sent as Christmas greetings their most valued mail items. This is revealed by a survey commissioned by Posti in November.
Greetings with a more affordable Christmas no-value indicator stamp must be mailed by Tuesday, December 13 at the latest.
More than 60% of Finns intend to send Christmas greetings, such as cards, letters or parcels, through Posti. Christmas cards are the most popular option. These include purchased and self-made postcards as well as cards made using a personal photo.
Christmas greetings are important to recipients. More than half (54%) value Christmas cards, letters and parcels the most as a Christmas greeting. Text messages or personal social media messages as greetings are valued by 8% of respondents.
Christmas cards are sent mainly because they are intended to make the recipients happy. And this is reported as the reason by 96% of those who send Christmas cards.
“According to our research, Christmas cards are a way to make people happy. They convey a personal touch and warm thoughts from the sender. Maintaining traditions is also important for Christmas card senders,” says Sami Määttä, Consumer Mail Business Unit, Posti.
Among those who send Christmas cards, 93% considered personal reasons to be important, and 89% stressed the importance of tradition.
Last year, sending Christmas greetings was a popular choice, as 83% of the respondents said they received greetings in the mail. The majority of these were Christmas cards, either bought, handcrafted or made using personal photographs. Paper Christmas cards delight recipients for a long time, as 88% of respondents say they keep them throughout Christmastime.
Online Christmas present purchases still on the rise
While most people find spending time with loved ones and enjoying Christmas foods the best parts of Christmas, giving gifts is also an essential part of the celebration. According to the survey, 90% of respondents plan to give Christmas presents this year.
Purchases of Christmas presents from online stores are still on the rise. Among respondents, 58% have already bought or plan to buy Christmas presents online. Everyone (100%) who actively makes purchases online also buys Christmas presents online. Last year, the corresponding figures were 53% and 81%.
One of the reasons people shop online is that it can be done at any time of day. Online shopping is seen as an easy and time-saving option, as everyone tends to be busy before Christmas. The third most common reason for online shopping is that web stores have a great selection of products.
“Finns favor Finnish online stores. If the price is the same, that’s where the majority of consumers prefer to buy Christmas presents. Finns also favor Finnish products,” says Tommi Kässi, head of Posti’s major Finnish parcel and e-commerce customer relations.
According to the survey, about half of the respondents (54%) are regarded as basic online buyers. Around one in four (24%) are active buyers who shop online a lot, and around one in five (22%) shop online infrequently.
Commissioned by Posti, the survey was conducted by IROResearch Oy's national consumer panel on November 8–16, 2022, with one thousand respondents. The survey’s margin of error is approximately +3.2 percentage points at most.
Tips for Christmas presents from printed advertising
According to Posti's Grand eCom Survey 2022, which was published in September, 44% of stores accrue 70% of their revenue online. The rise of e-commerce is now reflected in Posti’s delivery service, which will deliver this year’s record number of advertisements in the next few weeks.
Print advertising is an important link between online retailers and buyers. Among respondents, 55% have bought or searched for more information about products based on printed advertisements.
“The peak season, which started with Black Friday, can currently be seen in the record-breaking number of advertisements. This year, the number of advertisements is as high as last year, despite general financial uncertainty,” says Chief Transformation Officer Tuija Åkerman from Posti.
Send cards with the Christmas stamp on Tuesday, December 13 at the latest
Christmas cards with a no-value indicator stamp for Christmas greetings (EUR 1.40) will be delivered in time for Christmas as long as they are mailed by Tuesday, December 13. Cards can be dropped off in mailboxes until midnight on that day. You can recognize the no-value indicator stamp for Christmas greetings by the snowflake symbol.
Sending cards with the Christmas stamp can be made easier by slipping them into the red mailing envelope available at Posti service desks and at most stamp retailers.