Moonpig says more people using AI to write greeting cards and create pictures

The online cards and gifts business said overall revenues rose 8.6% to £284.5m

Growing numbers of gift-givers are turning to AI to compose their cards or create bespoke content including stickers and images, Moonpig has disclosed.

The online cards and gifts retailer said it had made substantial investments in artificial intelligence (AI) which can “lower barriers to content creation”.

It revealed that creative features were incorporated into 31 million greeting cards in the year ending April, representing a twofold increase on the previous year.

This includes customisation options such as video and audio cards, alongside AI capabilities including handwriting, stickers and face swap, which blends a person’s face from a photograph into a greeting card design.

Customers can also opt to utilise the AI writing assistant by entering prompts while creating a card, with AI then producing the accompanying text.

“As advances in AI continue to lower barriers to content creation, we believe the ability to reliably manufacture, personalise and deliver products at scale becomes increasingly important,” chief executive Catherine Faiers said.

Moonpig’s total revenues climbed by 8.6% year-on-year to £284.5 million.

The firm said that this partially reflected consumers enhancing orders with premium-priced gifts and larger-format cards while opting for next-day tracked delivery.

Almost 18% of orders featured a gift, which can be selected after a card is chosen, driving a 5.7% rise in the average order value. Moonpig offers gifts from retail partners including Next, Jojo Maman Bebe and Boots, alongside experiences from brands such as Pizza Express, Virgin Wines and The Traitors Live Experience.

Mark Crouch, market analyst for eToro, said: “For Moonpig, loyalty is a significant asset.

“With more than 12 million active customers, the company benefits from a steady stream of birthdays, anniversaries and milestones that arrive regardless of the economic backdrop.

“Customers are not only returning but spending more, trading up to premium gifts, larger-card formats and faster delivery options.”

Moonpig shares were up by more than a tenth on Thursday morning. The London group also has a logistics hub in Tamworth and an office in Manchester.