Moonpig
Encyclopedia
Moonpig.com is a business based in London
and Guernsey
which sells personalized greeting card
s. 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.
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. 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. 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".
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. 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
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
which sells personalized greeting card
Greeting card
A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling. Greeting cards,...
s. 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.
Company profile
According to Managing Director Nick Jenkins, 'Moonpig' was his nickname at school, hence the name of the brand.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
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
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. 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. 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".
The company's printing works was initially based in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, but moved to Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
in 2006 in order to benefit from the island's VAT
Value added tax
A value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
exemption on UK-bound goods costing less than £18. 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
PhotoBox
PhotoBox is an internet-based digital photo printing company founded in 2000 by Graham Hobson.PhotoBox is part of the 'Photoways Group', which consists of PhotoBox, and its French counterpart, Photoways, leading to their claim that they are Europe's largest online photo processing service...
.