November 21, 2011

Inventory Management with a Candle Business Online

Filed under: Candles — John Pozin @ 3:56 pm

When managing inventory for a candle business, there are a few factors you need to consider.  These factors include how long it takes you to get more of the product, how fast the candles are selling, and the history of the sales.  Paying attention to your inventory can help you be more successful with an online candle store.

The length of time it takes you to get ahold of a specific candle can be a big factor when you need to restock the shelves.  If you only have a small handful left of a candle that sells on a daily basis, you could be in trouble if it takes a few weeks to get more.  If you make your own candles, you must estimate the time it will take you to make what you need.  You also need to know which candles to make first, how many to make, and remain on top of the orders.  In order to be a successful online candle business, you cannot run out of a product and make customers wait.  Never take orders and send an email telling the customers their order is backordered until a specific date either.  It is easy to lose customers online and they will not return.

You always must keep track on how fast the candles are selling.  You might have a specific type of candle that sells one a month and one that you just cannot keep stocked enough.  Knowing which candles are selling the most allows you to maintain a good inventory.  There is no reason to hold onto products that don’t sell or continue to buy and stock them either.  You also must be prepared for spikes in sales for candles that become popular for a period of time.  As an immigrant reads in immigration news now is the time to fill out a citizenship application.  The applications fly off of the shelves.  As certain candles become popular through the news or trends, you must be prepared with your inventory also.  If you do not pay attention to the trends, people will have to shop at a different online store because you don’t have the product.

The history of your candle sales commonly will repeat themselves.  Some people buy others the exact same gift every year for special occasions like Christmas or their birthday.  You might notice specific candles being a hot item during Valentine’s Day or another holiday.  If your sales show a spike during Christmas every year of a particular set of candles, make sure you are ready for the sales this year.  Don’t overstock, but be prepared for enough sales.

There are many things you need to do to control a good inventory of your candle business.  Keeping proper inventory can help you be successful by having the ability to fulfill orders on a timely basis.  Always ensure you pay attention to the sales of your products, notice trends, and the length of time it takes you to shelf each product and get it out the door.

August 11, 2011

Selling Candles Online

Filed under: Candles — John Pozin @ 6:00 am

If you are selling candles online, there are many things you need to do to ensure that you perform the right marketing techniques.  These things include targeting the right customers with the right advertisements, providing excellent customer service, and backing your product.

Targeting the right customers is one area many businesses often miss the boat on a regular basis.  It is the reason companies fail and they don’t even realize it.  Having the ability to identify the right audience for your products will help you be most successful in a high volume of sales.  Votivo candles can be priced from low to high, be of high or low quality, and in different styles.  The types of candles you choose to sell are up to you.  However, the styles you choose to sell and the prices much match the audience.  If you are selling candles that are hip and for a younger audience, pricing them too high is not going to get you many sales because a younger shopper doesn’t have much money.  You must strategically sell items and price them based entirely on the shopper you are trying to target.  If you are targeting a wealthier crowd, then pricing your products too low may send a signal that your products are of poor quality also.

Customer service is another factor that can cause a business to fail quickly.  If a shopper buys edge protectors and the cardboard edge protectors were damaged due to the lack of custom packaging solutions, your customer service team should be responsive and care.  The customer needs to have a personal experience when shopping online.  This can be difficult to do.  However, when a customer calls your business or sends an email with a question, the quicker you are to respond to their needs, the happier they will be.  In addition, it is rare a company provides good customer service and if you do, people will come back to buy from you again.

Backing your product means offering a guarantee to the customers.  If you send candles to someone and the wick is broken or the candle is damaged, they need to be able to send it back for a replacement.  If the customers are not happy with the products or they just don’t like them when they receive them and see the candles in person, you need to offer the ability to ship them back for a refund or a trade.  When customers know they are shopping with an online store that is flexible and backs their products, they feel safe and secure shopping with that retail store.  They will come back and use your business again.

When selling candles or any product online it is important to focus on the customer factors to ensure they are happy with the way your business operates.  This will ensure they come back to see you and only want to buy candles from you.  Always be sure you target the proper customer base, provide good customer service, and back your product.

May 17, 2011

Giving the Gift of Light

Filed under: Candles — John Pozin @ 8:51 am

One thing that people love to have and yet often never buy is candles. They somehow manage to make it to the bottom of the shopping list with other non-essential items like fingernail clippers. They are something that you always mean to pick up and yet when you are actually at the store you forget about them. It is not an item that people go out specifically on a shopping trip simply to purchase them so when a need arises at home where we need a candle we usually dig through the drawers or closet shelves and find whatever is left. So everyone will really appreciate getting one as a gift.

People that are good candidates for receiving a candle as a gift would be folks trying to become legal residents of this country. They are often too busy studying the US Immigration eBooks or looking at the online immigration forms for their US Visas to actually take time off to get a candle for themselves. And yet they are the ones that can benefit from the relaxation that a candle offers the most.

Think about it, you could literally handle all of your gift selection buying at the store in the candle section and not have to worry. It is a gift that you can be fairly sure that no one else is going to give them and there is little to no chance that they will buy for themselves and yet they will think of you every time that they use it. It is also a very inexpensive gift so it is quite possibly the perfect thing to buy for someone.

It doesn’t matter if they are a housewife or a resident alien looking to get a US Visa or whether they are taking online college courses or merely looking at online immigration forms. People are going to appreciate the thought that went in to getting them the candle. They can read over a political blog or a US Immigration eBook and they will be reminded how much you care each and every time that they look at the candle.

Giving the gift of a candle really shows that you cared enough to go an extra measure and to not buy the same exact gift that everyone else is buying simply because it was easier or required less thought. These folks will know that you specifically thought of them when they look at the candle because each one can be so individualistic that it can show the real thought put into the gift.

So it does not matter if your friends have their US Visas or if they are studying the US Immigration eBooks so that they can fill out the online immigration forms. They are going to know that you took enough time out of your day to get them a unique gift. They don’t have to know that you actually did it at the store the same time that you purchased one for everyone on your list. That can be your little secret.

August 11, 2007

Bubble Bath In Candle Light

Filed under: Candles — John Pozin @ 12:17 pm

One of the best gifts you can give yourself is a candle. No, really. Candles, unlike other gifts, are really about giving time back to yourself. After a day of hectic work and responsibilities, being able to sit down to a candle-lit dinner or being able to soak in a luxurious bath, surrounded by the beautiful sparkle of dozens of candles, is the ultimate indulgence for you. Best of all, candles can be a very inexpensive gift. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a spa or dinner out in order to enjoy some TLC when you need it – candles are always there and always wonderfully inexpensive.

You can buy candles for yourself, of course. Online, you can literally find entire worlds of candles. Here, you can find great options and candles you probably didn’t even know existed. From Oprah’s favorite candles to exclusive French candles to rustic all-natural candles, here you will find every style, scent, and color you can imagine. Whether you want to buy single candles or entire gift sets for yourself – or for someone special – online shopping has you covered.

Of course, don’t overlook large online retailers. You can easily pick up a little treat for yourself while you shop for books or furnishings that you need anyway. As an added bonus, when you shop online, you enjoy home delivery, great prices, and a huge selection. If you are tired of the few dusty candles you see in your local store, you owe it to yourself to check out online retail options, where there are thousands of candles just waiting for you to discover them. Whether you shop at specialty candle retailers for that rare treat or shop at a huge online store for low-cost treats, you are doing something great by rewarding yourself.

If you have a little extra time, you may want to consider making your own candles. Not only are homemade candles a great and thoughtful gift for others, but they can be a great treat for yourself. Taking the time to make candles means taking time out for yourself. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that making your own candles is relaxing and fun! Plus, once you are done, you will have candles that are exactly the style and scent you have always wanted.

If you want to try your hand at making candles, your local crafts store will have all the supplies as well as tips on how to get started. There are also many great websites and books that will teach you, step by step, how to make the most beautiful and unique candles possible. Of course, the secret ingredient to any homemade candle is scent. Luxurious, wonderful perfumes transform any simple candle into a luscious sensual experience. When you make your own candles, you can add your own unique scent. Why not eschew the usual fruity scents in favor of something truly wonderful? You can find scents that range from the exotic to the sweet. You can even coordinate the scent of your candles to your favorite perfume!

Article source: http://www.hotcandlegifts.com/blog/bubble-bath-in-candle-light/

July 23, 2007

Decorative Candles — Moms Love Them!

Filed under: Candles — John Pozin @ 12:28 pm

Moms spend hours worrying about us, nurturing us, and taking care of us. They certainly deserve our undying love and respect. Why not show your mom today how much you love her with a “just because” gift? Sure, you can buy nice gifts for mother’s day and for her birthday, but to really delight your mum, nothing can beat the thoughtful gift out of the blue. A “just because” gift shows that you are thinking about your mum and that you love her – and there is simply nothing that a mom wants to hear more than that.

If you are looking for the perfect “just because” gift for your mom, try decorative candles. Online retailers such as Amazon sell them and you can learn about new candles from Yahoo answers or by looking at retailers through Yahoo. These can give you plenty of great ideas. Of course, specialty retailers are also a wonderful way to buy great candles for your mom. Specialty candle retailers offer special deals, the biggest selections, and even free shipping on some orders. You can get the perfect candles delivered right to your door and enjoy bringing your mom candles she didn’t even know existed.

Once you have bought your candles, there are several ways that you can present them to your mum:

1) Pack a picnic lunch for two, with candles, and take your mom on an impromptu picnic with you. Be sure to take a camera along to capture the memory. Your mom will love the fact that you are willing to spend time with her, and any candles you don’t light your mother can keep at home, to remind her of your special day.

2) Wrap some pretty candles along with some bubble bath and soft terry slippers in a basket. Add everything else needed for a spa night – sample sizes of scented lotions, face masks, and Epsom salts from the pharmacy or drug store. Include a “do not disturb sign” that your mum can hang on her door while she takes her luxurious candle-lit bath. Your mom certainly deserves – and will appreciate – a little pampering.

3) Wrap some candles in pretty fabric. This is especially a great gift if your mum likes to sew. Even if she does not, a pretty fabric can make a great impromptu table cloth. She can cover a nice table in her home and set up a pretty array of candles in her home.

4) Set up a tea tray with candles. Few things are as evocative as a nice, fragrant cup of tea, especially when you include pretty cups, flowers, sugar bowls, and a nice tray.

5) Write your mom a nice, long letter on good paper and include some nicely wrapped candles inside. Most people today get mostly bills and ads in the mail, so sending a personal letter is an ideal way to recapture a time when letter writing was a great way to stay in touch. If you mother lives further away, this is the perfect way to surprise her. It will certainly make her day!

Article source: http://www.hotcandlegifts.com/blog/decorative-candles-moms-love-them/