Christmas cards boost bottom line for UK businesses

Small and medium sized businesses up and down the country are set to increase their New Year profits by GBP257 million as a result of sending their customers Christmas Cards over the festive season.

According to the Royal Mail research launched today, bottom line profits of businesses are set to increase by 2.1 per cent as a result of sending Christmas card mailers – a return on investment of 3,213 per cent – with the average company spending just GBP200.

Businesses are realising the value of sending Christmas cards, with a third convinced they help to build and maintain customer relationships, and six in ten believing that they give them a competitive edge.

Alex Batchelor, Royal Mail’s Marketing Director, said: “This research shows that as a sales and marketing tool, the humble Christmas card provides a huge return on investment.

“Rather than just being an act of goodwill, these statistics show that sending a Christmas card is the very least a company should do to reach out to its customers over the festive season.”

Ian Styles, Marketing Director at leading catering company Elior UK, added: “We are sending thousands of Christmas cards to all our customers this year. It is a simple and easy way to maintain our client relationships.”

The survey carried out by ICM for Royal Mail, also showed:
• Over a fifth of customers are more likely to use a business that had sent them a Christmas card
• Over a fifth of customers will keep Christmas Cards sent by companies for over a month
• 37 per cent of customers believe that sending a Christmas card is the very least a company can do for them
• Four out of ten customers state that Christmas Cards make them feel valued by the companies they use.

Royal Mail’s festive postbag this year of two billion items includes 750 million Christmas cards.

Issued on behalf of Royal Mail by Lara Molins, Cohn & Wolfe, 020 7331 5452, email: [email protected]