Candle sales soar in Australia amid coronavirus crisis
As we continue to spend time indoors, there’s been an unexpected demand for one homewares item that Aussies have been buying big on.
Is there anything more fancy than dropping $50 on a scented candle?
The item is often viewed as a luxury and bought most commonly as a gift because it is hard to justify the spend for yourself.
But that was before isolation and the world as we once knew completely changed.
Now new data shows that sales in this category have soared, with Aussies snapping up candles at more than double the rate they normally do – and the best part is, demand for the locally made item has been keeping people in jobs.
RELATED: What people are buying during lockdown
Online retailer Adorebeauty.com.au saw such a demand, they created a new category on the site – Stay At Home Essentials – which added home items to the usual beauty and fragrance offerings on the site.
“It’s been fascinating to see what customers prioritise during isolation,” Kate Morris, founder & CEO of Adore, told news.com.au.
“Makeup is less important, while we’ve spiked in pampering products like candles and bath products, as well as do-it-yourself substitutes for salon services, like hair dye and nail polish.”
Ms Morris said there was a 181 per cent was growth for the entire home and fragrance category, while candle sales increased by 105 per cent.
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“We’ve always believed that beauty is more about self-care than it is about appearance,” she said.
“People are feeling anxious and uncertain, and looking for products that give them comfort and a feeling of being looked-after. There’s something nourishing and indulgent about the feeling of taking time out for yourself.”
The site’s bestsellers include a chunky soy candle from Glasshouse Fragrances, an Australian brand, called Kyoto in Bloom and a Lumira glass candle, in its spicy Cuban Tobacco scent.
Neither are cheap, with Lumira’s scented offering setting shoppers back $70 while a Glasshouse candle costs $44.95.
Nicole Eckels, CEO and co-founder of Glasshouse Fragrances and Circa Home said the increase for demand during the global virus pandemic had kept his Aussie employees in jobs.
“As a proudly Australian owned and made business, every candle is created and hand-poured in our Sydney factory – so these sales have really helped us keep our team in their jobs during this challenging time,” he said, describing the spike as an “investment in the little joys to savour during time at home”.
RELATED: Isolation item earns Aussie $150,000 in seven minutes
Other items that have seen an unprecedented increase in sales since lockdown began include lingerie, pyjamas, bikes and activewear.
Australian fitness apparel brand STAX, which is owned by Matilda Murray and Don Robertson recently told news.com.au their business had experienced a huge jump in sales during isolation – recently selling $150,000 worth of product in just seven minutes.
“Last night we launched our secret VIP sale which was going to be open for first 100 orders or 30 minutes only,” Ms Murray told news.com.au.
“We ended up with 1000 orders in under seven minutes and had to close it. We generated $150,000 when our goal was $30,000,” she said.
When STAX’s seamless collection was released for general sale, the tights, bike shorts and sports bras sold out in just one minute.
Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au
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