A new study of 1,014 people by rightmobilephone, the UK mobile phone price comparison website, has found that traditional greetings cards are gradually being replaced by text messages, as more people are opting to show that they care with technology rather than pen and paper.
Family members proved to be the most likely to get a card handed to them or sent in the post, with 66% saying they usually buy their immediate relatives a card on special occasions, compared to just 42% of people who said the same for their friends.
Just under two thirds of the people questioned claimed they would send a text message to their mates on a special occasion instead of a card and 31% of those people said that was down to cost. 46% said they texted instead because it was easier and a cheeky 5% admitted it was because they usually didn’t remember until the day.
When asked “Do you think it is unnecessary to send both a card and a text message?” 83% said ‘yes’. Other findings from the research include 91% of Facebook users send greetings to friends and family via the site, prompted by the reminders that appear on their social networking page.
Speaking about the results of the research, Neil McHugh, co-founder of rightmobilephone.co.uk, said: “Text messaging now plays a major part in most people’s day-to-day lives and it’s a quicker and much more efficient way of contact than letters or cards, especially with the recent postal strikes taking their toll.
He continued: “Texting is also a more cost-effective way of sending a message on a special occasion, as greetings cards can be fairly expensive and most only end up getting thrown away after the day. When you look at it that way, it’s no surprise that more people are texting ‘Happy Birthday’ than putting it in a card.”