Paper Calendar Sales Grow in Digital Age

Sales of traditional calendars and planners, like this one from JournalBooks/Timeplanner Calendars, increased.

We're at a point in time now that everyone has at least one electronic device that has a basic calendar, if not more advanced planning apps and organizational tools. Despite this, The New York Times reported that the sales of appointment books and planners (the paper kind) in 2015-16 grew 10 percent over 2014-15 to $342.7 million. Sales of decorative calendars grew 8 percent to $65 million in that same time period.

Leen Nsouli, an analyst from NPD group, chalked this up to personalization.

"The consumer can customize a planner to fit his or her style with accessories, colors and even color code events and activities," Nsouli told The New York Times. "That's not something you can do on the standard phone calendar."

What's more, the gifting factor and promotional ability of paper calendars is a major factor as well.

Melissa Ralston, marketing director for BIC Graphic, Clearwater, Fla., told The New York Times that gifting is part of the reason paper calendars have stood up against their digital counterparts, and that 82 percent of recipients enjoy getting a calendar as a complementary gift.