What is an eCard? Complete Guide to Electronic Cards

From the ding of an email notification to the slam of the mailbox door,  there’s no better feeling than getting mail (unless it’s a bill).  There’s a personal connection that comes with a card—virtual or physical. But there’s been some recent (well, sort of recent) greeting card advances, and if you’re new to the digital world, you might be asking yourself, “what is an eCard?”

Simply put, eCards are digital versions of greeting cards that you’d send out for an occasion (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, congratulations, condolences), but they’re bigger than that. An e-card is an electronic greeting card sent through the internet, usually to straight to someone’s email box. 

eCards are making paper cards go the way of the dinosaur—extinct. They are customizable, environmentally friendly, last forever, fun to make, quick, and cheap (which can come in handy if you need to send a card last minute).

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves on eCards. To bring you up to the 21st century, our greeting card experts put together this complete guide to electronic cards. So, let’s go from stationary to in-eCard-motion. 

What is an E-card?

E-cards are virtual greeting cards created through a website (like Kudoboard ). They’re typically shared via email, but e-cards can also be printed, viewed as a slideshow, shared via social media, or sent through direct links.

In other contexts, an eCard can mean a virtual credit card or a replacement for your physical library card (but if you’re looking for that here—you’re lost, friend). These can work like corporate cash or help you check out eBooks from a central library database. 

As a greeting card, an e-card can be customized with unique backgrounds, use different types of media (photos, videos, gifs, text), and more. These features make it easy to personalize the eCard for the person it’s being sent to.

Plus, you can purchase eCards entirely online and send to the individual right away. That means no more wasted time thumbing through the traditional greeting card options at the store to find the perfect one. And think again about waiting in line, as online payment methods are easy.

If you’re looking for more about eCard vendors, check out Our 19 Picks for the Best eCards.

How Do I Create An E-Card?

Creating the perfect eCard is so simple, even a caveman could do it (wait, who’s line is that?). Start by find a website that offers e-cards that meet your needs (there are several, from Paperless Post to Kudoboard). Some offer virtual invitations, simple birthday cards, or group cards (that’s us!).

If you’re using Kudoboard , go to the website and click “create a Kudoboard.” Enter in the recipient’s name, select an occasion, and decide if you want to collect funds for a gift card. 

Next, choose your eCard type based on how many contributors you have. There’s a lite option for small groups, a premium eCard that’ll bring lots of people together, and a milestone board for unlimited contributors. there’s also a free eCard demo to get you comfortable with the platform.

Now for the fun part, creating your digital greeting card. Customize the background, add a heartfelt post, and invite other. Anyone with the link can post their personal message to the board using any type of media they would like. To share with contributors, click “add contributors” at the top of the card. Share the board via email, social media, direct link, or QR code. Finally, hit “schedule delivery.”

What are Some E-Card Ideas for Occasions?

An E-card is an amazing alternative to a paper printed card for many occasions. An electronic card is also personal and workplace appropriate, making it easy to celebrate the recipient and any special occasion.

e-Cards are typically the preferred choice for the workplace, as they make rallying everyone around a special occasion and keeping budgets in check easy. In a virtual setting, it’s simple to track the eCard number to make sure every employee is celebrated, recognized, and appreciated. 

From a small business to a large enterprise, organizations of all sizes use eCards to celebrate, often within their employee recognition software. That way, they can accurately reward employees for hard work, acknowledge work anniversaries, and more. These platforms use premium eCards to create connections and build culture.

If you’re an individual, it is important to consider the recipient’s access to email when sending an eCard. Grandma can’t read your personalized message or see her custom eCard if she struggles getting into her email. Even worse, if she thinks “what is an ecard?” and sends it to her spam folder, you might need to get her up to speed before sending a board signed by loved ones.

But, if your recipient is ready to go, send away and celebrate with a digital eCards. Here are some common types you’ll find on the ‘net: 

Fathers Day E-card

Why’d we choose this one first? So you don’t forget it! You dad’s Father’s day card is made easier with virtual greeting cards. A Father’s day ecard is a wonderful way to celebrate the men in your life, whether it be your grandfather, father, brother, uncle, husband, son, or anyone else. Father’s day eCards are a wonderful way to say “thanks” to the men that have made a difference in our lives (as well as show proof that you love them). 

If they have at any point acted in a fatherly role for you or for someone close to you, it is plenty appropriate to celebrate by sending them a Father’s Day ecard. If you want to make the eCard even more special, you can show it as a slideshow on Father’s Day. 

Mothers Day E-card

A Mother’s Day Card is a wonderful way to say “I love you” to the mothers and women who have made a difference in our lives. Grandchildren, children, and others can contribute to the digital card and add special photos, memories, and more. Mother’s Day eCards can also include fun GIF’s and sweet messages to your mom or grandma. 

Another way to use Mother’s Day eCards is for grandmothers who may live far from their grandchildren and children, everyone can contribute to the card no matter where they live, making Grandma feel extra special. Want to see more? Check our favorite Mother’s Day card example.

Graduation E-card

E-cards are an excellent and fun way to celebrate the graduate. It’s such a monumental moment for many and deserves recognition. Whether someone is graduating from high school, college, or even kindergarten, an eCard can help you celebrate.

With Kudoboard, graduation cards are made simple and fun. Friends, loved ones, and more have the ability to add fun graduation messages, GIFs, memes, photos, memories, and more. The eCards can be made to be themed around the school that the student attended, centered around the graduate’s chosen field of study, or sytled with some other extracurricular activity. 

Everyone loves prizes, so you can even add the option to collect funds for a gift card from contributors. Group graduation e-cards are fun to make and will make the recipient feel special. We’ve even seen an alumni Kudoboard to celebrate faculty and fellow graduates.

Engagement E-card

An engagement is definitely something special to celebrate (and we’re not just saying that). They are embarking on a fun and hopefully very long journey. There is so much hope wrapped up in a couple becoming engaged. 

Share that moment by celebrating the now betrothed happy couple with a fun eCard from a group (or just from you). With Kudoboard engagement cards, you can also add funds for a gift card for the happy couple. 

Need we say more? Check out this engagement card example that a group made for their newly engaged friends.

Anniversary E-card

Anniversary e-cards are great for your spouse, partner, boyfriend or girlfriend, parents, grandparents, or anyone else who may be celebrating a special anniversary. If their relationship has had an impact on you, either directly or from their example, then you and the recipient would both enjoy celebrating their anniversary together with an ecard. 

Farewell/Retirement E-card

Farewells are never easy, and retirements are often bittersweet. A retirement or farewell digital greeting ecard is a great way to celebrate this special occasion. It a great place for fellow coworkers to share farewell wishes, memories for their careers, photos, and more. 

If the farewell or retirement is sudden, it is still both convenient and still appropriate to send that the farewell or retirement ecard to that person. There’s really never a bad time to receive an eCard.

Online Funeral Memorial Board

The death of a loved one is never easy. Often people may be at a loss for words or how to express condolences. A wonderful and thoughtful way to express your sympathy is through an e-card or memorial board. 

Memorial sites are a wonderful way for families, friends, and loved ones to collaborate and share memories of one who has passed away. They’re a thoughtful and convenient way to give families and friends spread apart geographically an opportunity to share their thoughts and sentiments. They also last forever and can make a memorial slideshow to celebrate the life of their loved one. Loved ones can also use eCards as a virtual funeral guest book .

Thank You e-Card

Expressing gratitude with thank you cards has been a tradition (for as long as we can remember, at least). While paper thank you cards have been a standard for literally centuries, the practice has fallen out of favor.

Instead, thank you eCards are now the best option for any thank you occasion, and they are easily personalized and can include a virtual gift card to boot. 

Need a visual? Examples of when you can use thank you cards include: thank you to healthcare workers, teachers, mentors, leadership, bosses, and more. It is always free to say thank you, and putting a little extra effort into making a thank you special with an eCard will definitely show your appreciation.

Birthday E-card

Everyone loves being celebrated on their birthday! A birthday e-card is a thoughtful way to celebrate someone you care about as a group. Make the event extra special for the birthday person by adding videos, fun memories, GIFS, and memes for a more animated eCard.

Here is a birthday e-card example with contributions from family members and friends.

Congratulations eCards

Whatever you may be expressing congratulations for, a congrats e-card is the way to go. One can express congratulations for many occasions such as a new job, personal accomplishment having finally been achieved, wedding/engagement, graduation, promotions, work anniversaries and more.

Holiday eCards

Many people send out holiday cards to show how their families have grown, update their loved ones on what has been going on with them over the year, and simply share holiday well wishes. A fresh way to share your yearly updates is through a holiday eCard. 

The best part? Holiday eCards avoid the cost of postage and printing. With an eCard you can send Christmas cards to everyone in your network, even those that normally wouldn’t “make the cut” (although we won’t tell them). Check our this sample holiday group eCard from Kudoboard.

New Baby E-card

A new baby is something to celebrate (big surprise). New baby eCards are a great way to announce a new baby or congratulate new parents on their new bundle of joy.

Parents can also celebrate by creating a slideshow of the new baby slideshow with Kudoboard (everyone loves looking at pictures of babies). You can even print the e-card as a baby book and give it as a gift.

Get Well Soon E-card

When someone is sick, it is always nice to let them know that they are being thought of. A fantastic way to let someone know that they are on your mind is through a get well soon e-card. 

The obvious benefit to using an digital greetings over a paper card is you don’t have to risk getting another person sick (yuck!). Online cards keep you protected within the digital world.

How Do I Share and Send E-cards?

Technology has made eCards easy to share and send. The typical way to share eCards is through email; however, Kudoboard offers four different ways to share an eCard: direct link, email, QR code, and social media. Kudoboards can also be viewed as slideshows at parties, printed as a poster, or even printed as a book.

For more info on sending eCards, read:

• How to Send eCards via Text
• How to Send an eCard via Email
• How to Send an eCard with a Gift Card
• How to Send a Digital Birthday Card

Why Do E-cards Matter?

ECards have been around for a while now (party like it’s 1994!), and they matter because they make celebration fun and accessible. Ecards offer what paper cards can’t: customization, originality, and more.

While the list could go on forever, here are our 6 favorite reasons why Ecards aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They are:

Environmentally Friendly: E-Cards are (of course) environmentally friendly because there is no printing involved. Save a tree and send an eCard.

Time Efficient: Getting a paper card seems easy, but does take time picking one out (and trying to find one that isn’t too generic). eCards are quick and easy to make, and you can customize them however you want, to avoid the generic messages of a paper card. It is also more efficient for groups to contribute to the card because everyone can do it at the same time—wherever they are.

Easy Collaboration: Making a group eCard is easy and simple, and has all the other benefits of a virtual card. You can share an eCard with friends, family, or coworkers to sign with the click of a button. After that, share the Kudoboard in four different ways, QR code, social media, email, and direct link. Anyone can contribute to an eCard, making the card extra special for the recipient.

Editable: ECards are awesome because they are extremely easy to edit, personalize, and make your own. People can make themed eCards for their family members and friends (everyone adds GIFa, videos, or photos around a certain theme). People can also add all sorts of media, making the eCard extra special.

Longer lasting: Sure, paper lasts a long time, but eCards literally last forever (unless the internet stops working, but let’s not think about that). They can be pulled up and viewed as many times as the recipient wants, or be made into a slide show or printed as a book.

Are There eCards for Companies?

Yes! Companies can use eCards in many instances, and they are an affordable way for companies to recognize employees, celebrate retirements, give shout outs, welcome employees to the company, and more. Companies that invest in workplace appreciation and show their employees their value will motivate their team and increase employee happiness.

In many cases, companies get a employee recognition software that offers unlimited eCards, automations, and other powerful features. This allows them to scale their employee experience with authentic praise and make sure that they leave no employee behind.

Some common corporate eCard use cases are:

Workplace Appreciation

To use eCards for workplace appreciation, companies typically create as shout-out or employee recognition boards. Management and team leads can use them as a one-on-one thank you’s to recognize an employee.

More powerfully, companies can also use a shout out board to recognize/honor an employee who has gone above and beyond for their team. Plus, they can sweeten the pot with a digital gift card. Management can use eCards to express congratulations on exceeding expectations, showing the right work ethic, and more.

Retirement

A retirement is an bittersweet occasion for the employee and the company (but mostly for the company). To commemorate such an occasion, a retirement eCard signed by all the coworkers and leadership that has worked with the retired employee is a wonderful way to send them off to their next phase of life. 

Don’t believe us? Here’s a powerful retirement eCard example signed by family and friends. Retirement eCards are an excellent way to send off an employee with thoughtful messages from their coworkers.

Welcome Cards

What better way to show camaraderie among co-workers than by welcoming a new team member with a welcome eCard. Welcoming new team members is a critical part of onboarding the ensures new employees feel accepted and improves the employee experience.

Birthdays/Work Anniversaries

Companies can also use eCards to celebrate employees birthdays and work anniversaries . Utilizing eCards for employees’ birthdays is an efficient and affordable way to ensure that everyone feels valued and allows for many coworkers to sign the card virtually without passing around a paper card. 

Cost

Pricing by brand can vary depending on whether they offer a simple free ecards or robust group ecard. For example, Kudoboard starts with a business plan with a limited number of users for only $299. Companies get unlimited board posts, multiple board creators, Slack and Teams integrations, and more.

How do eCards work for Remote Teams?

Remote teams can also take advantage of eCards to help connect employees separated by distance. Remote and hybrid teams often use eCards for:

Birthdays

Everyone enjoys feeling celebrated on their birthday, and a great way for remote companies to connect with their employees is through sending birthday eCards signed by their fellow coworkers.

Shout Outs

Everyone needs to feel appreciated for their hard work, and it feels nice to get recognition. When employees are consistently working at home, it can feel like the org doesn’t notice their work as much, vs. when they are working in the office. When you can’t give a high five in person, a virtual shout out board is a great way to say “great work.” Check out this fun shout out eCard example.

Work Anniversaries

Celebrate your employees by letting them know how much you value them. Remote employees especially need to know this as they aren’t in the office as much. Here is an example of a work anniversary eCard.

Welcome and Farewell cards

Welcoming new team members, especially those who are working remote is an essential part of the onboarding process. A welcome eCard helps new team members feel like a part of the team. Here are more ideas of how remote companies can utilize eCards in their company.

eCard FAQ (Because We Didn’t Answer It All)

How do I invite people to add to an ecard? 

To invite contributors, the creator of the eCard typically will share via email. With Kudoboard, board creators can share the board four different ways: QR code, direct link, email, and social media. Anyone can contribute to the board without signing up for Kudoboard.

How to make an eCard feel priceless?

Making an eCard feel special and priceless is easy. Paper cards are tradition, but eCards can be personalized to the recipient’s interests. Here are a few tips to make an ecard feel priceless: 

• Post meaningful/funny quotes: With eCards, you can add any type of text you want. These can include funny, sentimental, and meaningful quotes that remind you of the recipient. 
• Make sure it gets to the recipient on time : Schedule delivery of the eCard so that it gets to the recipient in a timely fashion. To ensure that the recipient will get the eCard on the right date, ensure that all contributors are aware of when they have to finish adding to the eCard. 
• Change the background/personalize the font: To really make an eCard stand out and feel special, personalize the background and font in a way that reminds you of the recipient. Choose colors that the recipient enjoys to make them feel loved. 
• Express appreciation: Expressing appreciation doesn’t have to just be for thank you cards, it can be used for any occasion. To make an eCard feel priceless, express appreciation for all that the recipient has done. 
• Share memories: Sharing memories of the recipient is a wonderful way to make the eCard feel priceless. These memories can be funny or sentimental memories. 
• Add personal media: A wonderful way to make an eCard feel extra special is by adding personal media like videos, photos, and text.
• Use a premium option: Purchasing a digital card instead of getting a free eCard ensures that the card won’t track personal information or display relevant adverts. It will also have a privacy notice to maintain security.

What else can I do with an ecard?  

Not only can you share eCards digitally via email, direct link, social media, or QR code, but you can also be share them in other ways.For personal and company use, Kudoboards can be shared as slideshows to be viewed at parties or get-togethers.

eCards can also be printed as posters, or as a book. This makes them an excellent gift for many occasions such as retirements, birthdays, anniversaries, and more.

How much do eCards cost? 

Depending on your platform, eCards range in price from free to $19.99 for group eCards for personal use. There are also packages of eCards for a discount.

What is the difference between an eCard and a paper card? 

It sounds wild, but an eCard is not made out of paper like a physical card. Instead, they are electronic cards used in lieu of a traditional greeting card. You can use eCards for any occasion, and easily send to recipients. eCards can be signed virtually and are easily shared with contributors to make group cards. 

Why are eCards so popular? 

eCards are continuously gaining popularity because they are affordable, especially compared to paper card alternatives. You can also customize Ecards, making each one unique and original for any occasion, and multiple people can sign. They also introduce fun to celebration and recognition because you can add all sorts of media to the card, making each one special for the recipients.