Overnight delivery of greeting card service by the USPS has the biggest competitor, which is Hallmark Greeting Cards Company. Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. It has owned the whole greeting cards market for almost 100 years. Hallmark greeting cards, or gifts can be mailed to the customer by the next business day. That is why we could say the Hallmark Greeting Cards Company is the strongest competitor to the overnight night delivery of greeting cards by the USPS. This analysis of the competitor, Hallmark could help the USPS to get succeed in greeting cards market.
There are several strengthens of the Hallmark greeting cards. First of all, Hallmark greeting cards has occupied the greeting cards market for 100 years. It is the most successful brand greeting cards at this area because its high quality. The second, Hallmark greeting cards are more attractive than other greeting cards. As we all know, Hallmarks offers or has offered greeting cards, ornaments, and related gift products from many famous licensors, such as: Dream Works Animations, even 20th Century Fox. Most cartoon, and movie figures cannot be published without licenses, but Hallmark has the corporate relationship with those licensors. That is why some figures only could be used by Hallmark.
On the other hands, there are several weaknesses of Hallmark greeting cards. First of all, Hallmark greeting cards is limited on languages service. United States is an immigrant country, so English is not the only language in lives. People come from different countries, has their own cultures, languages are more emotional role in many special days. However, Hallmark greeting cards ignored this language market. The second, Hallmark greeting cards of delivery service is expensive. Hallmark Company does not have its own delivery system, so greeting cards of delivery fee can not be reduced. A second day delivery of greeting cards by Hallmark charges $4.95 per card, and greeting card price is not included.
It is apparent that the USPS should become a market leader in overnight delivery of greeting card service. It is better to be the first than it is to be better. Being first in any industry is going to give you the edge-being the leader comes from being first. It’s much easier to get into the mind of consumers first than try to convince people you have a better product or service than the one that did get there first. Improvements are always made to product/service inventions and innovations but the first in has a head start. Once we are the leader, a position mostly gained by being first, it is pretty hard for Hallmark, and Fedex to dislodge us, as long as we keep our products up to date and of comparable quality. In addition, being a leader in overnight delivery of greeting card service has the opportunity to have our brand name adopted as the generic category name. Once we are first and get the consumers to buy our brand, often they won’t bother to switch. People tend to stick with what they’ve got.
Macro environmental factors usally include inflation, legal, technological, social and economic etc. Almost all of the Macro environmental factors affect businesses. The legal factors: Every organisation required to comply with laws and legislations. Any organization avoids the law and legislation may result in panties. Because the U.S. Postal Service has been functioned as a regular, tax-supported, agency of the federal government, the USPS does not need to worry about too much of the legal factors. Technological factors: new technologies create new products and new processes. Online greeting cards order, and greeting cards design, or creativities are all improvements to the way we buy a greeting card at store as a result of better technology. 100 years no one could image shopping online with just sitting at the home. However, the technology changes so fast that this kind of industry, such as, news paper, magazine may not exist a few years later. How can expect the overnight delivery greeting cards service to occur in the coming years and decades. Social factors: Changes in social trends may affect demand for the companies’ products. For example, more people concern about healthy eating and so companies such as McDonald need to respond to these changes by introduce new healthy products rang. For overnight delivery greeting cards service, the USPS online system may provide culture service, such as, creative greeting cards with not only English, offering more holiday cards from different cultures. Economic factors: These factors include taxation changes, economic growth, interest rate and exchange rates. If any of these factors change may have major impacts on the USPS and USPS have to respond to these changes in order to stay in business.
Economic factor is the most significant trend to impact the overnight delivery greeting cards service by the USPS. If a country was suffering the economic crisis, a small department of the government, USP has nothing to deal with it. At this moment, the overnight night delivery of greeting cards by the USPS may explore the international market, such as, Chinese market, and India market. Supplying the Greeting cards, related gift products of the US culture in both of two markets, which are big and strong may help the USPS pass the economic crisis, and support the US government on state revenue. The overnight night delivery of greeting cards must exist in the future.