Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising Creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- FDMx sales continue downward trend
- Air fresheners represent key competitive threat
- Most motivated to purchase by scent
- Religious and unbranded candles show some promise
- Eco- and scent-related claims often associated with new launches
- Women are the key consumer segment
- Walmart and other mass merchandisers often preferred channel
- Fragrance drives many to purchase
Insights and Opportunities
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- Partner with “deal of the day” firms like Groupon to encourage product trial
- Incentivize customers to participate in viral programs, as Groupon does
- Target religious Hispanics with Catholic imagery
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- Figure 1: St. Jude Candle Company product listing catalog image, 2011
- Help consumers create desirable emotional states
- Candles to aid breathing
- Consider offering memory candles
Inspire Insights
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- Trend: “A Simple Balance for Health”
- Trend: “Prove It”
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- FDMx sales continue to decline in weak economy and highly competitive sales environment
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- Figure 2: FDMx sales and forecast of candles, at current prices, 2006-16
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- Figure 3: FDMx sales and forecast of candles, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2006-16
- Walmart sales
- Fan chart forecast
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- Figure 4: Fan chart forecast of FDMx sales of candles, at current prices, 2006-16
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Home entertainment trend contributes to demand for candles
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- Figure 5: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, May 2011
- Rise in unemployment undermines consumer confidence
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- Figure 6: Unemployment, January 2007-March 2011
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- Figure 7: University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, March 2007-May 2011
- Rising CPI discourages discretionary spending
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- Figure 8: Consumer Price Index*, all items, January 2008-February 2011
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- Figure 9: Change in CPI* in food and energy sectors, August 2010-February 2011
Competitive Context
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- Air care continues to undermine growth in candle sales
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- Figure 10: Reasons for buying candles, May 2011
- Spray most popular air-care delivery system
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- Figure 11: Use of air freshener, by type, July-August 2010
- Refill claims become more common in air care as consumers seek greater value
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- Figure 12: Incidence of claims associated with new air freshener launches, 2005-11
Retail Channels—Overview
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- Figure 13: FDMx sales and forecast of candles, at current prices, by channel, 2010 and 2011
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Supermarket Sales
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- Key points
- Supermarket sales declining slowly
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- Figure 14: FDMx sales and forecast of candles at grocery stores, at current prices, 2006-16
Other FDMx channels
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- Key points
- Other channel also shows steady declines
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- Figure 15: FDMx sales and forecast of candles in other FDMx stores, at current prices, 2006-16
Sales of Candles through Natural Supermarkets
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- Key points
- Insights
- Sales of household candles in the natural channel
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- Figure 16: Natural supermarket sales of candles, at current prices, 2008-10*
- Figure 17: Natural supermarket sales of candles, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2008-10*
- Natural channel sales by segment
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- Figure 18: Natural supermarket sales of candles, by segment, 2008 and 2010*
Brand Share—Leading FDMx Manufacturers
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- Key points
- SC Johnson losing share but still dominant
- Candle-Lite (Lancaster Colony Corp.)
- Yankee Candle
- Signature Brands
- FDMx sales and brand share for companies with $30 million+ in FDMx sales
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- Figure 19: FDMx sales and brand share for companies with $30 million+ in FDMx sales, 2010 and 2011
Brand Share—Other Manufacturers
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- Key points
- Companies with $10-29.9 million in FDMx sales
- Some mid-sized and smaller firms defy the downward sales trend
- Procter & Gamble (Febreze)
- Village Candle
- Chesapeake Bay Candle (Pacific Trade International)
- St. Jude Candle posts growth with religious offering
- Airwick also defied sales trend
- FDMx sales and brand share for companies with $10-29.9 million in FDMx sales
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- Figure 20: FDMx sales and brand share for companies with $10-29.9 million in FDMx sales, 2010 and 2011
- Companies with $5-9.9 million in FDMx sales
- Langley/Empire Candle LLC
- Hanna’s Candle Co.
- Continental Candle Company wins with religious and generic offering
- FDMx sales change for companies with $5-9.9 million in FDMx sales
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- Figure 21: FDMx sales growth among companies with $5-9.9 million in FDMx sales, 2010 and 2011
- Companies with $2-4 million in FDMx sales
- Decopac finds growth with celebration candles
- For Every Body wins with eco-friendly offering
- FDMx sales change for companies with $2-4 million in FDMx sales
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- Figure 22: FDMx sales growth among companies with $2-4 million in FDMx sales, 2010 and 2011
- Other companies
- Slatkin & Co.
- PartyLite and Blythe Inc.
- Aromatique
- 100 Candles
- Alene Candles
- Newville Candle Company (Celebration Candles)
- Virginia Candle Company
Innovations and Innovators
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- Key points
- Yankee Candle, Slatkin, and SC Johnson win with innovation
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- Figure 23: New candle product launches, 2005-11
- Scent-related, ease of use, and eco-friendly packaging common in 2010-11
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- Figure 24: Incidence of claims associated with new candle product launches, 2005-11
- Glade focuses development efforts on popular scent profiles to maintain dominance
- Yankee introduces QuickScent and a patriotic candle in 2011 that drive growth
- Yankee Candle takes American-made a step further
- Slatkin & Co. continues to introduce broad range of fragrances
Marketing Strategies
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- Key points
- Overview
- SC Johnson (Glade)
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- Figure 25: Glade Candle Scents TV ad, 2010
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- Figure 26: Glade scented oil candles, TV ad, 2010
- Glade.com
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- Figure 27: Quantcast.com estimates for site traffic to glade.com, July 2011
- Procter & Gamble (Febreze)
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- Figure 28: Febreze (multi-products) TV ad, 2010
- Febreze.com
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- Figure 29: Quantcast.com estimates for site traffic to febreze.com, July 2011
- Febreze uses Facebook to spread viral ads and align with yoga use practitioners
- P&G gets viral with Febreze
- Febreze uses YouTube viral campaign to get people talking
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- Figure 30: Febreze breathe happy campaign/ experiment, July 2011
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- Figure 31: Febreze breathe happy campaign/ dirty room, July 2011
- Febreze also uses consumer reviews to explain and promote products
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- Figure 32: Febreze consumer review 1, July 2011
- Figure 33: Febreze consumer review 2, July 2011
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- Figure 34: Febreze consumer review 3, July 2011
- Yankee Candle
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- Figure 35: Quantcast.com estimates for site traffic to yankeecandle.com, July 2011
- Chesapeake Bay Candle
- PartyLite
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- Figure 36: Quantcast.com estimates for site traffic to partylite.com, July 2011
- Village Candle
- Bath & Body Works
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- Figure 37: Quantcast.com estimates for site traffic to bathandbodyworks.com, July 2011
Incidence and Frequency of Buying Candles
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- Key points
- Candle-purchasing patterns remain similar to year past
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- Figure 38: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, 2009-11
- Women more likely to buy candles at least a few times per year
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- Figure 39: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by gender, May 2011
- 25-54s more likely to buy candles than younger or older adults
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- Figure 40: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by six age groups, May 2011
- Many households with incomes of 100K+ rarely or never buy candles
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- Figure 41: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by five household income groups, May 2011
- Women aged 45-54 most likely to buy candles
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- Figure 42: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; gender by age groups, May 2011
Where People Buy Candles
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- Key points
- Women are more likely to purchase candles in specialty stores
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- Figure 43: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by gender, May 2011
- Younger candle buyers more likely than others to buy at specialty stores
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- Figure 44: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by age, May 2011
- Affluents more likely to purchase within specialty channel
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- Figure 45: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by household income, May 2011
Why People Buy Candles
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- Key points
- Fragrance is most frequently cited driver of candle purchase
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- Figure 46: Reasons for buying candles, by gender, May 2011
- Odor masking primary driver among 18-24s
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- Figure 47: Reasons for buying candles, by six age groups, May 2011
- Those from $100K+ households more interested in candles for holidays
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- Figure 48: Reasons for buying candles, by five household income groups, May 2011
A Question of Scent—What do People Like and Buy?
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- Key points
- Most, especially women, like to vary the scents they buy
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- Figure 49: Interest in scents and scent variation, by gender, May 2011
- Those aged 55+ tend to prefer spice-type scents such as cinnamon
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- Figure 50: Interest in scents and scent variation, by six age groups, May 2011
- Parents more likely to express interest in candle-making and scent-layering kits
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- Figure 51: Interest in scents and scent variation, by presence and number of children, May 2011
Where Candles are Used Around the House
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- Key points
- Women more likely than men to use candles in most rooms
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- Figure 52: Where candles are used around the house, by gender, May 2011
- Young adults more likely to use candles in their bedrooms
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- Figure 53: Where candles are used around the house, by age, May 2011
- Parents more likely to use in bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen
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- Figure 54: Where candles are used around the house, by presence and number of children, May 2011
Brand Preferences
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- Key points
- Women more likely than men to be brand aware
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- Figure 55: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by gender, May 2011
- Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works resonate with middle- and upper-income segments
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- Figure 56: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by household income, May 2011
- Households with children more likely to purchase leading brands
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- Figure 57: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by presence and number of children, May 2011
Interest in U.S.-Made vs. Local/Community-Made Products
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- Key points
- About eight in 10 prefer to buy products made in the U.S.
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- Figure 58: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by gender, May 2011
- 45+ segment more likely to prefer American-made products
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- Figure 59: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by six age groups, May 2011
- Those earning less than $25K least interested in U.S.-made products
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- Figure 60: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by five household income groups, May 2011
Changes in Lifestyle and Spending Habits in Past Year
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- Key points
- Women more likely to have changed lifestyle and spending
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- Figure 61: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by gender, May 2011
- Young adults more likely to report more online and natural purchases
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- Figure 62: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by six age groups, May 2011
- Lower- and middle-income segments more likely to look for bargains
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- Figure 63: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by five household income groups, May 2011
Impact of Race/Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Asians more likely to buy at least a few times per month
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- Figure 64: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by race, May 2011
- Hispanics are more likely to buy candles once a month or more
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- Figure 65: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by Hispanic origin, May 2011
- Blacks most likely to buy candles from Walmart
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- Figure 66: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by race, May 2011
- Hispanics more likely than non-Hispanics to buy from Walmart and dollar stores
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- Figure 67: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by Hispanic origin, May 2011
- Asians most likely to cite relaxation as a motivation for candle purchase
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- Figure 68: Reasons for buying candles, by race, May 2011
- Hispanics are much more likely to buy candles for religious observance
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- Figure 69: Reasons for buying candles, by Hispanic origin, May 2011
- Blacks are most likely to place candles in the bedroom
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- Figure 70: Where candles are used around the house, by race/Hispanic origin, May 2011
- Bath & Body Works is especially popular with Asians
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- Figure 71: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by race, May 2011
- Hispanics more likely to use Febreze, non-Hispanics more likely to use Yankee Candle
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- Figure 72: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by Hispanic origin, May 2011
Custom Consumer tables
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- Middle-aged women spending more time at home but more frugal
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- Figure 73: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by gender and age group, May 2011
- Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works resonate with women
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- Figure 74: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by gender and age group, May 2011
- Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works hit their target with affluent women
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- Figure 75: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by gender and household income, May 2011
- Upper-income women more likely to appreciate spice and varying scents
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- Figure 76: Interest in scents and scent variation, by gender and household income, May 2011
Cluster Analysis
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- Candle Enthusiasts
- Characteristics
- Demographics
- Opportunity
- Average Users
- Characteristics
- Demographics
- Opportunity
- Rarely Relaxing
- Characteristics
- Demographics
- Opportunity
- Cluster characteristic tables
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- Figure 77: Candle clusters, May 2011
- Figure 78: Frequency of buying candles, by candle clusters, May 2011
- Figure 79: Reasons for buying candles, by candle clusters, May 2011
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- Figure 80: Interest in scents and scent variation, by candle clusters, May 2011
- Figure 81: Where candles are used around the house, by candle clusters, May 2011
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- Figure 82: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by candle clusters, May 2011
- Figure 83: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by candle clusters, May 2011
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- Figure 84: Changes in credit card usage in past year, by candle clusters, May 2011
- Cluster demographic tables
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- Figure 85: Candle clusters, by gender, May 2011
- Figure 86: Candle clusters, by age, May 2011
- Figure 87: Candle clusters, by household income, May 2011
- Figure 88: Candle clusters, by race, May 2011
- Figure 89: Candle clusters, by Hispanic origin, May 2011
- Cluster methodology
Appendix—Other Useful Tables
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- Incidence and frequency of buying candles
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- Figure 90: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 91: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by presence and number of children, May 2011
- Figure 92: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by gender and household income, May 2011
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- Figure 93: Incidence and frequency of buying candles, by gender and age group, May 2011
- Who is actually buying candles
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- Figure 94: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by five age groups, May 2011
- Figure 95: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by four household size groups, May 2011
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- Figure 96: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by presence and number of children, May 2011
- Figure 97: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by census region, May 2011
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- Figure 98: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by five household income groups, May 2011
- Figure 99: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by five race groups, May 2011
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- Figure 100: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 101: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by presence and number of children, May 2011
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- Figure 102: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by census region, May 2011
- Figure 103: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by five race groups, May 2011
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- Figure 104: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by four race groups, May 2011
- Figure 105: Who is actually buying candles in the household?; by Hispanic origin, May 2011
- Where people buy candles
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- Figure 106: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 107: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by presence and number of children, May 2011
- Figure 108: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by census region, May 2011
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- Figure 109: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by gender and household income, May 2011
- Figure 110: Where people buy candles, by retailer type, by gender and age group, May 2011
- Why people buy candles
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- Figure 111: Reasons for buying candles, by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 112: Reasons for buying candles, by presence and number of children, May 2011
- Figure 113: Reasons for buying candles, by census region, May 2011
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- Figure 114: Reasons for buying candles, by gender and household income, May 2011
- Figure 115: Reasons for buying candles, by gender and age group, May 2011
- A question of scent—what do people like and buy?
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- Figure 116: Interest in scents and scent variation, by five household income groups, May 2011
- Figure 117: Interest in scents and scent variation, by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 118: Interest in scents and scent variation, by census region, May 2011
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- Figure 119: Interest in scents and scent variation, by gender and age group, May 2011
- Figure 120: Interest in scents and scent variation, by four race groups, May 2011
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- Figure 121: Interest in scents and scent variation, by Hispanic origin, May 2011
- Where candles are used around the house
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- Figure 122: Where candles are used around the house, by census region, May 2011
- Figure 123: Where candles are used around the house, by gender and household income, May 2011
- Figure 124: Where candles are used around the house, by gender and age group, May 2011
- Brand preferences
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- Figure 125: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by six age groups, May 2011
- Figure 126: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 127: Brands of candles bought in past two years, by census region, May 2011
- Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products
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- Figure 128: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 129: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by presence and number of children, May 2011
- Figure 130: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by census region, May 2011
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- Figure 131: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by gender and household income, May 2011
- Figure 132: Interest in U.S.-made vs. local/community-made products, by gender and age group, May 2011
- Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in past year
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- Figure 133: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by four household size groups, May 2011
- Figure 134: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by census region, May 2011
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- Figure 135: Changes in lifestyle and spending habits in the past year, by gender and household income, May 2011
Appendix—Trade Associations
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