There are two main types of greeting card publisher, differentiated by the distribution method they use and therefore types of retailer they supply.
- The Direct to Retail (DTR) sector distributes through sales representatives (working directly for one publisher), sales agents, or a distributor (sometimes another publisher with a strong network of agents or reps). Direct to Retail cards are found in department stores, independent card shops and the value retail chains.
- Wholesale publishers sell through wholesalers and cash and carries to a mixture of CTNs, supermarkets, discount card chains etc. These publishers rely on volume sales and tiny margins.
