Candle Connection

Infantry unit gets unexpected holiday gift.

Last year a customer purchased a 6-month subscription to Candle of the Month Club. He was treating himself to an economical indulgence and one that would give him 2 candles of different scents each month. The order had a delivery address which looked a bit unusual. As always, the online USPS database was consulted in an attempt to verify the accuracy of the address. When the query returned a message indicating that the address may be undeliverable, contacting the customer was the next step. A call to his cell phone was answered on the second ring and the reception was amazingly clear. He assured me that the delivery address was correct and that he received mail there on a regular basis. The email address provided on the order seemed to indicate that he was a member of the military currently stationed in Iraq. When asked about this, he said that his tour of duty was for an entire year. This prompted me to inquire how many other individuals were in his company. I thanked him for his order and, more importantly, for his service to our country.

A few weeks later, on October 1st, a box containing 16 Hollyberry & Balsam votive candles and 4 Pumpkin Spice votives, each nestled in its own votive holder, was carefully packed and shipped. A brief note was included to our customer and instructed him to give one votive to each person in his company. Naturally, one of the votives was for him. It was our hope that lighting the votive would bring back fond memories of holidays past and bring a bit of comfort to an otherwise stressful tour of duty.

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Musings on one of our best sellers.

Candle gift sets are consistently among the best sellers on wicksworks.com. They are particularly popular during the holiday season, but they are a favorite year round. Like candy and flowers, candle gift sets are something that nearly everyone appreciates getting, and it doesn’t take very much effort to find one that’s just right for the recipient.

But for me, the really cool thing about candle gift sets is that they last a lot longer than candy or flowers. Yep, candy or flowers will survive a week or so at best, but candle gift sets can stick around for many months. I like knowing that the person I give one to will enjoy her gift for a prolonged period.

This probably isn’t a mainstream behavior pattern, though. Instead of focusing on the long-lasting aspect of candle gift sets, I think most people who buy them key on a combination of features. Perhaps the most important of which is that they are already wrapped and ready to give. No muss or fuss. Way cool!

The diverse scents and candle styles to choose from also make it possible for these people to personalize their gifts to some degree. For instance, if they know the candle preferences of the person they are gifting they can be right on target with selections such as an aromatherapy pillar candle gift set or a coffee votive candle gift set. And even when they’re a little fuzzy about the gift recipient’s preferred candle styles and fragrances, they can choose something safe like a bakery combination candle gift set. How far wrong can they go with that? Not very!

I can’t say that it is a big surprise to me that there is so much demand for candle gift sets. They’re fun to give and fun to get, and that is a winning combination. Hey, I even have fun vicariously by making it all possible for so many people. Life is good.

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A glimpse behind the scenes in the candle wars.

Coinciding with the growth of the Internet was a proliferation of candle companies specializing in natural wax candles. One explanation for this is that the Web offered an accessible venue outside conventional distribution channels to reach consumers open to such products. The collective success of those online chandlers’ marketing efforts can be seen in the ever-increasing presence of natural wax candles on the shelves of small and large retailers throughout the country.

For many people the appeal of the candles these companies produce is that they are not made from paraffin, a petroleum byproduct. But a desire to reduce the world’s dependence on oil or to be an eco-friendly consumer is only part of the equation; natural wax candle fans also appreciate not having to breathe in soot and toxins while they enjoy the simple pleasure of burning a candle.

This feature particularly resonates with those who regularly use aromatherapy candles to help them relax or meditate. To them the prospect of breathing a mixture of pure essential oil and petrochemical fumes fails to please. A growing number of homeowners and rental property owners are also becoming aware of the upside of burning natural wax candles as word of the “ghosting” phenomenon, often associated with soot build-up on walls and furniture as a result of frequent paraffin candle usage, spreads.

From the outset natural wax candle makers aggressively touted the features and benefits of their wares while criticizing the shortcomings of paraffin candles. At first established candle manufacturers were either unaware of the slurs against their products or simply ignored them. But as the chorus grew and natural wax candles started to become more popular, a major candle industry association felt compelled to publish on its website a defense of paraffin candles that contained a slam against soy wax candles, which noted, among other things, that chemical solvents are used in their manufacture.

In a classic example of strange bedfellows, a large palm wax candle company now uses the same argument about soy candles to differentiate its products as the most eco-friendly available. Neither competitor has tried to suggest that soy candles aren’t good products per se, they just use this fact to diminish the public persona of soy candles to their advantage.

Whether any of this really matters to consumers is difficult to gauge. How many of the relatively few people exposed to soy candles’ “dirty” little secret will care since it doesn’t affect them directly? After all, soy candles do in fact burn virtually soot and toxin free, which is why they buy them.

Conclusion: It’s tough shopping green when there are so many shades of gray.

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