When you set up your candle-making business it’s important to not only know your target market but also what they like and want.
Here is our guide to what sells the best (most) and why. Knowing the needs of your market can tell you where you need to focus to maximise your profits
The candles that sell the most are:
- Container and jar candles – The most popular
- Fragranced candles – Especially for aromatherapy
- Candles that form the focal point of a room both in looks and fragrance
- Candles that relax the user, a candle to make the room feel welcoming and warm
- Candles that are used in the main living room and to a lesser extent, the kitchen
- Stylish-looking candles to give as a gift, housewarming, thank you, adult birthday, or seasonal event gift
Now have a rough idea of what sells well let’s take a look at why these are the most popular
Container and jar candles
These are hugely popular mainly because they tend to be more robust and have a higher safety factor. Coming in their own container they are designed to be lit and used with that container. This helps prevent the candle from falling over and causing any fires.
They are also useful because you can use the container for another purpose later once the candle has been used or you could even make some yourself if you have enough containers to do so.
Fragranced candles – Especially for aromatherapy
As well as using superior waxes, most people pick candles for their fragrance. It’s especially important to use high-quality fragrances when you want to use them for things like aromatherapy or to change the mood of a room.
For this reason, people are willing to spend more on a candle if the fragrance is high quality, has a good scent throw, and is pleasantly received when used.
Candles that form the focal point of a room both in looks and fragrance
Many people are looking to buy candles for decorative purposes as well as practical use so it’s a good idea to make yours visually appealing as well as great to use.
To make your candles stand out you can make them into unusual shapes and make them in a variety of colors so people can buy your candles to match their surroundings.
Candles that relax the user, a candle to make the room feel welcoming and warm
Some people just want to rest and relax with their candles, for this reason, you will need to balance price, size, fragrance, and color to make a great candle that will make people feel cozy but will also last and not break the bank.
Candles that are used in the main living room and to a lesser extent, the kitchen
Most candles are used in the living room with the next highest category being in the kitchen. If you focus on good visual design and high-quality scent throw then you should have a winning candle. When people use candles they want the room to feel welcoming, more so in the kitchen if they have been cooking something strong. A nicely balanced candle can eliminate harsh cooking smells and replace them with a more welcoming softer tone to enhance the experience
Stylish-looking candles to give as a gift, housewarming, thank you, adult birthday, or seasonal event gift
Many candles are often bought as gifts too, with almost 3/4 of people confirming candles are an acceptable gift for a housewarming gift or for seasonal events like Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, and over half said candles are acceptable as thankyou gifts, adult birthday gifts, or dinner party gifts.
How to choose the best candle to make and sell?
Using the above information you can see what types sell well and what can really bring in the largest number of sales.
As we can see candle tins and jars are the most popular so this is a good place to start. People see the container as a ‘freebie’ to be used after the candle is finished so that’s a point in our favor.
Container candles also come in a variety of sizes too. 8oz candles are the best-selling size but to a lesser extent so are 12oz and 4oz candles so you can mix and match your sizes to hit the largest market. Remember you make candles in batches so pouring your candle wax into different-sized containers will not require any more work allowing you to pour multiple sizes at the same time.
Seasonal candles sell incredibly well so focusing on large holidays like Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween can optimize your sales if you produce seasonal fragrances to match the holiday. For example, a pumpkin-spiced orange candle could sell well on Halloween.
Gifts are a huge market so the demographic can be very diverse as both men and women of all ages consider receiving a gift of a candle as a thoughtful and acceptable gift. Focus on age and gender types with your size, shape, scent, and packaging to cater to each type of your demographic to maximize sales.
The last thing to really consider is your price point. When deciding to make a candle business you need to decide what your target demographic is going to be. Try to sell $50 candles to regular people and they will think it’s a rip-off. Try to sell $5 candles to the middle and upper class and they will think it’s cheap and nasty.
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