Moonpig

Moonpig.com

Type	Private
Industry	Greeting cards
Founded	2000 (2000)
Founder(s)	Nick Jenkins
Headquarters	Guernsey London, England, United Kingdom
Website	www.moonpig.com

Moonpig.com is a business based in London and Guernsey which sells personalized greeting cards. The website was launched in July 2000, and in 2007 the company was responsible for 90 percent of the online greeting card market in the United Kingdom.^[1]

Company profile

According to Managing Director Nick Jenkins, 'Moonpig' was his nickname at school, hence the name of the brand.^[2]

Customers who visit the website can choose from a large selection of basic card designs and enter their own text to personalize them. In addition to cards, the company offers customizable spoof magazine covers and invitations, where customers can upload their own photos for printing. The original launch of Moonpig.com coincided with the collapse of the dot-com bubble which meant progress was difficult at first, but Jenkins raised further investment from private investors and venture capital, and the advent of broadband and digital cameras together with news spreading by word-of-mouth meant sales steadily increased, and the first profits were made in 2005.^[3] A television advertising campaign began in the UK in November 2006 to further build brand awareness, and in February 2008 Moonpig.com received a higher level of UK internet traffic than any other company in the flower and gift industry.^[4] As of Summer 2009, the company had 2.57 million customers and "the profit record shows a typical curve for a successful start-up — a big, £1 million loss establishing it in its first year, negligible losses edging into negligible earnings over the next six years, and thereafter a seven-figure profit".^[5]

The company's printing works was initially based in Chelsea, but moved to Guernsey in 2006 in order to benefit from the island's VAT exemption on UK-bound goods costing less than £18.^[6] An office is still maintained in London. The business expanded into the Australian market in 2004, and in late 2009, the business expanded its offering to include a range of flowers and custom mug designs. In spring 2010, Moonpig launched in America.

In July 2011, Moonpig agreed to be taken over by PhotoBox.^[7]

References

1. ^ "''University of Birmingham alumni'': Birmingham alumnus pushes the envelope". Alumni.bham.ac.uk. http://www.alumni.bham.ac.uk/news/2007/1/moonpig.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-25. 
2. ^ Marketing, 05 October 2005, 00:00am (2005-10-05). "''Marketing'', 5 Oct 2005: One to watch: Moonpig". Marketingmagazine.co.uk. http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/520539/. Retrieved 2010-02-25. 
3. ^ "''Real Business'', 1 Nov 2005: Nick Jenkins". Clairemurphy.co.uk. http://www.clairemurphy.co.uk/printarticle.asp?txtArticleID=63. Retrieved 2010-02-25. 
4. ^ "''Hitwise'' - United Kingdom Newsletter - February, 2008". Hitwise.com. http://www.hitwise.com/news/uk200802.html. Retrieved 2010-02-25. 
5. ^ Moonpig has the rhyme and reason with greetings via the internet, The Times, Martin Waller, 7 Sep 2009
6. ^ By Bruce MacDougall (2006-11-17). "''This is Guernsey'', 17 Nov 2006: Guernsey move had a Sark link". Thisisguernsey.com. http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2006/11/17/guernsey-move-had-a-sark-link/. Retrieved 2010-02-25. 
7. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14275632