Jcandleattic Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Over my many years of selling and giving candles away, there is an interesting trend I've noticed. Men seem to love candles more than women do. Is this just me, or do other people notice this as well? Over the past several years at my craft shows I can't tell you how many times it was the men that commented on my candles, or bought my candles, or ALMOST bought a candle before their wife/gf pulled them away, and then case in point - since today is "Giving Day" I brought candles for my Business Unit here at work. Consists of 13 people (including myself) 4 women, 9 men. I put the candles on their desks before they came into work this morning. Anyway, once they found out I am the one that gave them the candles, it was the men that were more grateful. I mean the women said thank you, but the men gushed over them. Just thought I'd mention this trend. Or maybe not a trend, since this has been my experience for the better part of 20 years now. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonshine Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Same in my part of town way more men buy and gush over them then women I thought it was because we have a landscape supply business and well most of our landscapers are men but the small events I have done the men outnumber the women by far we had a new landscaper come in last week and he saw the drawers of melts and the one labeled angle type _ I couldn't believe how he went on and on about how he wears the men's Angel cologne and can spot a woman wearing it a mile away 😂 He bought several clamshells of it and then his buddies on his crew came in and wiped me out 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaughtyNancy Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I don't have much experience selling, my candles are very amateurish, and other than that I just do solid personal fragrance and body butter type stuff. I do give a lot away to friends, family, neighbors, etc. I'll buy some stuff, try it out, and anything that I don't feel confident selling or won't use, myself, I start offering out to people (who do sometimes tip me, so hey). All of that said, I also notice that men tend to be really happy to get aromatic items. My best guess perception of it is that the larger commercial markets don't cater to men anywhere near as much as to women. I'm a woman who actually really likes more masculine scents, not like axe body spray type scents, but whenever I buy from people who make soaps and such, they usually have what they consider "masculine" scents or "man" candles/soaps/salts/etc. I go right for those sections, because finding those scents in typical stores is rare. Stuff that just smells like spiced conifer, or a warmer less powdery sandalwood, or a saffron and cedar duet, or teak wood themes, or a more overt birch tar note, or tobacco themes, and so on. I always check out the men's section for body wash and lotions and so on in department stores, and that section is always very sparse compared to the women's sections. And what is in the men's sections, is mostly of the caustic axe nastiness variety of scents. About all I ever found that I liked was the Denali deodorant from old spice, but even that has a sort of chemically cologne vibe to it, just not as bad as most options. Occasionally a more specialty store will have something good, like I was shocked and excited when I encountered bath and body works mahogany woods. But like, how many guys think, "I should go to bath and body works!" when they need some skin moisturization? Not very many, is my guess. So my overall guess is that when they see stuff made with them in mind at local markets and such, it's a more special opportunity, they are not used to being catered to. It's my theory because as a woman who loves masculine scents, I feel that way. I don't make my own soap but love, love, love a good bar of handmade goat's milk soap, and when a local soap lady shows up with a bunch of masculine scents I'm just like YASSSS. Same with candles, since mine are still deep in the learning phase. Most department stores masculines candles smell cologne-ish or even stink. When I find a birch-themed candle that smells good in a sea of ozonic, fruit and flower stuff, I'm that crazy customer who clears the shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Men shop very differently than women. I love men shoppers! Men know what they like, buy it, then move on. Women tend to sniff everything twice then ponder a lot. Think about price, value, alternatives, sales.... How does the saying go?... a man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs (or wants). A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she does not need. ❤️ 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRed Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Haha! So true! I used to volunteer for Xmas wrapping for charity and the men were always much easier to deal with. They buy, I wrap, they thank me profusely, give a donation and go on their way. Men also tend to tip more. Yes, I know that sounds sexist but it's just my general experience. Hey, a customer is a customer, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted November 29, 2017 Author Share Posted November 29, 2017 I also find that women are more concerned with getting men masculine scents. I did not discriminate when divvying out the candles I gave at work, so the men got most of the "feminine" scents, and they could not thank me enough... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belinda Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Men around here love the car fresheners and wax too! What surprises me is that women here love the manly scents as much as the men. You are so right about men knowing what they want and buying it where women will take forever to make up their minds LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonstar Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 1 hour ago, Jcandleattic said: I also find that women are more concerned with getting men masculine scents. I did not discriminate when divvying out the candles I gave at work, so the men got most of the "feminine" scents, and they could not thank me enough... Interesting. What feminine scents specifically did you notice they liked ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted November 29, 2017 Author Share Posted November 29, 2017 11 hours ago, Moonstar said: Interesting. What feminine scents specifically did you notice they liked ? The "feminine" scents I had were love spell, forever red, romance (my blend), limerosa (my blend) and willowy lilac. The rest were a mix of fall/Christmas scents. Every candle I gave had a different scent, and I figured there would be a lot of trading - nobody traded their candles. It was fun to watch their reactions when they got in Monday morning and saw the candles on their desks. The look of shock, awe and delight made the giving worth it, even if nobody thanked me - (which is not why I did it) but they all did, and almost all of the men emailed me as well as thanking me in person. The girls - well, they thanked me, but not as profusely as the men. It was surreal, honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponiebr Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Oh... I SO NEED to go to sleep... But there is THIS THREAD! Not that I am any sort of measure by which male behavior COULD be judged... BUT, I am a guy and I'll share a couple of thoughts I have. Yes. I DO like a "feminine scent" over a "masculine scent" BUT I would prefer something citrusy over just about any masculine scent. I actually prefer unisex scents like Florida Water or bay rum. Not really the point though... Tastes in odor or pallet are very subjective choices. The truth of the matter is that men, generally speaking, are romantics. I know I am, and I highly suspect MOST other guys, (if they were being completely truthful about the matter), would agree with my generalization. Having said that, things that would appear as "romantic" tend to attract our attention... because (drum roll please!) (oh you are going to be SO SHOCKED by this) WAIT FOR IT... It attracts YOUR attention. And by YOUR I mean who ever the guy is normally trying to attract. I don't know about all guys, but I DO tend to gush when a person shows me a random act of kindness, mostly because a swift kick in the A$$ is about as kind as I normally get. I would have gushed too if someone had left a chick magnet on my desk with a kind wish for the Holidays... But I also would have been EXTREMELY grateful for a light source... (It's SOOOO DAMN DARK down here amongst the troglodytes.) Also... Not for nothing but the SOURCE of the gift plays a HUGE role in the quality of the return complements. E.g.: If a guy and given out those candles, the male portion of the group would have been less complementary to the source... (Now HERE'S an interesting twist) BUT if the guy had given out the candles mentioned his wife or GF or THEN you'd see the uptick from the male portion in complements. And ONE more twist to REALLY mess with your brain, ALL of the above is predicated on WESTERN CULTURAL VALUES... Yeah, yeah... I'm just the messenger but I am the messenger that EXPECTS to be shot... And with what TT mentioned, YES! (no that's not emphatic enough) We know what we like, and if we show up, we want to buy it and get out of wherever it was that we were there to get so we can get on with whatever it was we needed to get the whatever for... (Am I right guys?) HELL YEAH! But, I'm not exactly what humans would call either normal or sane... So I suspect I'm likely full of fresh organic-compost-starter-culture... Or maybe not... Sponiebr The Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services. 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah S Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Great topic! Worth the click just for @Sponiebr's response, lol. I agree that the men tend to have lazer focus, and are very specific about what they want. Or don't want. 😂 If I want truly honest feedback about a fragrance, I will test it on guy every time. However, I do find the women are more likely to be adventurous and try a fragrance they're not familiar with or buy based on a recommendation, whereas the guys are more likely to play it safe and stick with what they know. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 (edited) Well I definitely sell to more women than men. But then I sell more soap & B&B than candles. But the men I do get in my booth I swear I sell them more floral and floofy scented soaps like lavender, mediterranean fig, and pink sugar, and then also lots of citrus ones like lemongrass & lime, and ginger lime. When women in my booth ask me what I have for men I point out the things they tend to buy and then they tend to go for the exact opposite. So I have learned to just answer questions and engage them when I see them having trouble deciding what to get. But frankly my customers are all over the place when it comes to picking fragrance. I have some best sellers that are more unisex and then the classics like lavender and rose. But I have to say that when I do sell my candles in the fall and holiday season the men act like little boys when they open a jar and take a whiff. You see a huge smile spread across their faces and then they act like a kid in a candy store opening up all the jars they can to sniff. If they have a girlfriend or wife with them they get the candles whether the women like them or not-- most of the time. Edited November 29, 2017 by Candybee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 I sell a lot to men in the 20-40 age range, older than that it's very rare. The men are all over the place with scents, some like bakery, some like leather. I guess it's pretty much like women as well. They guys do not smell them all as TT said, as soon as 1 appeals, they buy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary in Canada Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 Just a thought here....I am a man lol... when I was doing wood working crafts a few years ago, everybody that bought my creations were women..I think because most women do not do woodworking they would buy my products...at that time, most men were of the belief that "hey...why buy that wood shelf when I can make it myself"....I think it may be the same with candles today. Men do not make candles (generally speaking)..where as women probably think.."hey, I can make that myself". I think woodworking was a lot easier to figure out than candles though...lol 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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