Berlin, 20.01.2020 — The postcard is 150 years old. But its grand old age is not affecting its popularity. The postcard remains a popular communications medium and is enjoying a new-found popularity amongst young people through modern technologies such as postcard apps. To celebrate its anniversary, MyPostcard, Germany’s most popular postcard app, carried out a survey comparing how postcards are sent in Germany, the USA and England.
Postcards as a form of communication
The postcard hit the mark straight away in its first year of existence, offering exactly what people were looking for. On its first day on the market in June 1870 in Berlin alone, more than 45,000 were bought. In an age of industrialization, they gave people from all social classes the opportunity to communicate and stay in touch. They were used to arrange coffee dates or as displays of affection – for short messages put quickly to paper. Back then, the postcard fulfilled the same function that WhatsApp and co. have taken over nowadays. A speedy and good value form of communication.
About 195 million postcards are sent annually in Germany
The postcard had its golden period up until the turn of the century. Even though postcards haven’t quite been sent in record numbers since then, in the last few years they’ve been seeing an increasingly growing popularity. The medium is enjoying popularity particularly among younger people through new technologies like postcards apps. It lives on, whether in the form of a vacation, birthday or Christmas message. According to their records, the Deutsche Post transported about 195 million postcards in 2017.
Sending postcards – a comparison of Germany, the USA and England
When compared by country, it’s clear that with 57% doing it, Germany is hardly the master of the art of postcard writing. In the USA, an impressive 67% send postcards regularly and with 63% of people in England writing postcards, England comes in at second place. Whether as birthday wishes or vacation greetings from the beach, 86% of Germans are pleased to receive postcards, regardless of whether they themselves send postcards. Receiving postcards makes 65% of Americans happy and 70% of English people. Understandably so – after all, the good old postcard is something of an emotional luxury. Only a select circle of friends and family can count themselves among the lucky recipients.
Vacation – the ‘on’ season for postcard-senders
Rather than birthday wishes or Christmas greetings which come a close second and third, it’s still vacations that see most people diving for their pens in all three countries. According to the survey, 38% of Germans send their greetings to loved ones back home in the form of hand-written postcards, or by using a postcard app. 57% of Americans and 68% of English people do the same. In terms of the most popular channels for vacation greetings, postcards take the lead after WhatsApp and Instagram. That’s regardless of whether the postcard is a tourist motif featuring the local beach or an individually created design made with the help of a postcard app.
The data used here is taken from representative online surveys by YouGov Deutschland and OnePoll England which were carried out on behalf of MyPostcard. A total of 2064 people took part in the YouGov survey in June 2019. A total of 2000 people took part in each survey from OnePoll in December 2019. The results were weighted and are representative of the German, English and American population from age 18 and over.
About MyPostcard
The postcard of tomorrow: MyPostcard is the app that lets you send your own photos as real printed postcards. The app is currently available in ten languages and with over 20,000 designs, offers the biggest selection of postcards worldwide. MyPostcard takes care of printing and delivering your personalized postcards. Founder, Oliver Kray is a designer and serial-entrepreneur turned CEO. The company has its headquarters in Berlin and an office in New York and at currently employs 30 people.
For further information and inquiries:
Maria Gomelskaia
MyPostcard.com GmbH
Hohenzollerndamm 3
10717 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30 – 403 64 54 25
maria@mypostcard.com
www.mypostcard.com
Sarah Mikoleizik
Wilde & Partner
Franziskanerstraße 14
81669 München
Tel. +49 (0)89 -17 91 90 -50
Fax: +49 (0)89 -17 91 90 – 99
sarah.mikoleizik@wilde.de
www.wilde.de
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