Are Digital Business Cards Cheaper than Paper Business Cards in 2024? 

In 2024, the debate over whether digital business cards are cheaper than paper business cards continue to be a topic of interest among professionals and businesses. With advancements in technology and shifts in business practices, understanding the cost implications of each option is crucial for making informed decisions. Let’s delve into the cost comparison of digital and paper business cards, considering several factors that impact their overall affordability. 

The Cost of Paper Business Cards 

To give you an accurate answer to this burning question, let’s first get some data down. We looked at 3 different online sources in South Africa to get an average price of paper business cards in South Africa. We then used these prices to calculate the average price for a pack of 500 paper business cards. 

In South Africa at this exact point in time the average cost for a pack of 500 paper business cards is around R715.21. 

It must be noted that this price is only for the printing of the cards, this does not include any design work, revision/reprints, and shipping. 

The Cost of Digital Business Cards (CloudCard) 

At this point in time, the current cost of a digital business card with CloudCard is R540 per annum per user. 

With CloudCard there are no hidden setup or revision fees, you are able to get started within seconds and you can make as many amendments as required with no additional cost. 

CloudCard have absolutely no hidden costs and we do not believe in charging our clients more for further features. At CloudCard we use a volume-based pricing model. Our plans are purely based on the number of users your company has, rather than charging a client more for additional features. In summary, the more employees you on-board to CloudCard, the less you pay per user. 

Important Business Card Stats 

Considering the above-mentioned pricing data, let’s take a look at some important statistics: 

• The average professional goes through 500 – 1,000 business cards per year (According to silkcards.com) 

• 88% of paper cards are thrown away by recipients within 7 days (According to creditdonkey.com) 

• According to a report from Statistic Brain Research Institute, 72% of people judge a company or a person based on the quality of their business card. So higher quality business cards should equate to a higher probability of winning deals. 

• Close to 60% of small business owners consider business cards as an essential tool for their business progression. 

• According to a survey, a firm’s overall sales see an increase of 25% on every 2000 business cards handed out. 

Looking at the above stats we can assume that having a business card is an important sales tool. But having the right type of business card (Digital Business Card) can increase sales and reduce waste at the same time. 

The Final Face-Off 

Now that we have all the data down and understand why a business card is important, let’s look at a direct comparison of a Paper Business Card vs. Digital Business Card for a company of 50 Employees. We have made an assumption from the above statistics that each employee will use around 500 Business Cards per year: 

From the above table we can see that we have a clear winner, Digital Business Cards. So, on average a company with 50 employees will save roughly R8,760.50 per year when they make the switch to CloudCard Digital Business Cards. This calculation does not take into account the cost of having to reprint cards when an employee’s details change, or the wastage when an employee leaves the company, and the cards cannot be repurposed. 

To answer the burning question, in 2024, Digital Business Cards are cheaper than Paper Business Cards. Not only are Digital Business Cards cheaper, but they also create a great first impression and help professionals build meaningful connections with potential customers. 

Get in touch with CloudCard today to learn how you can transition your company to Digital Business Cards.