Eid cards: ‘Internet, SMS killed our business’

A simple Eid card costs almost Rs150, while an SMS costs a few paisas and email is free, says a shopkeeper.

LAHORE:

Sales of Eid cards have gone down 80 per cent over the last few years as most people now send Eid greetings to loved ones via SMS or the internet, according to shopkeepers at Anarkali, Urdu Bazaar and Shah Alam Market.

“While email was a blow to the Eid card industry, the SMS signed its death warrants,” a shopkeeper told APP on Sunday. Hundreds of shopkeepers have changed businesses because of this, he said.

A simple Eid card costs almost Rs150, while an SMS costs a few paisas and email is free, said a shopkeeper in Anarkali.

The rising prices of basic items was another reason people didn’t want to spend money on cards, he said. “The trend of sending Eid cards has almost come to an end now,” he added.

A stall-holder at Shah Alam Market said he made less than Rs1,000 per day selling cards from 10am to 12am.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2013.