Hallmark and Walgreens Make It Easy to Send Greetings on the Go

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Staying in touch with a personalized greeting card while on the go just got a bit easier. Users of the free Hallmark Go Cards mobile application for iOS now have the option to create and order a paper card within the app and pick up the printed personalized card at a local Walgreens store the same day.

"Imagine snapping a photo with your phone, adding the photo to a card in the Hallmark Go Cards app, placing the order and picking the card up at a Walgreens store on your way to a birthday party," said Paul Barker vice president and general manager of Hallmark digital. "This blending of the digital and retail world reinforces Hallmark's commitment to innovate in this increasingly busy and mobile world of ours and makes it seamless for customers to create a card when they need it, wherever they are."

Users of the Hallmark Go Cards app (find it at http://www.hallmark.com/apps) have been able to create a personalized paper greeting card complete with photos and a signature, and have it sent straight to someone's mailbox. The added enhancement of in-store pickup at local Walgreens stores by way of the iOS version of the app makes it possible to have the card in hand that day for in-person delivery, or to send through the mail.

Cards available through the app are 5x7 inches folded and are printed on card stock. Choices include cards for birthday, thank-you, love & flirts, just for laughs, well wishes, holiday cards and more. Cards created for in-store pickup cost $1.99 each (envelope is included, postage is not); those created through the app and addressed and mailed through Hallmark cost $3.49, to accommodate postage, addressing and handling. 

After they've created their card and are ready to check out, Go Cards iOS app users see the option to either have the card printed and mailed to the recipient by Hallmark, or printed at a local Walgreens store.  The GPS within a mobile device automatically shows Walgreens stores in the immediate area that have in-store printing capability. App users can also enter a zip code to find a Walgreens store in a different area.  Currently about 4,000 of all 8,000 Walgreens stores in the U.S. have the necessary printing capability.

In addition to the new Go Cards iOS app in-store printing capabilities, the Walgreens website and in-store kiosks are adding 50 new personalized card designs from Hallmark for Christmas, and another 200 choices for wedding, baby and birthday. 

About Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Hallmark makes the world a more caring place by helping people express what's in their hearts and spend time together - a privilege few other companies in the world enjoy. Hallmark greeting cards and other products are found in more than 39,000 retail outlets in the United States, including the network of flagship Hallmark Gold Crown® stores. The brand also reaches people online at Hallmark.com and on television through Hallmark Hall of Fame original movies and cable's top-rated Hallmark Channel. Worldwide, Hallmark offers products in more than 30 languages available in 100 countries. This privately held company is based in Kansas City, Mo., and is led by the third generation of the founding Hall family. Visit http://corporate.hallmark.com for more details.

About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2013 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to be the first choice in health and daily living for everyone in America, and beyond. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,123 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers, provider practices, and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 750 locations throughout the country.

SOURCE Hallmark Cards, Inc.