Already known for its expressive fragrances, Yankee Candle doubled down on the power of scented candles to create intimate connections with consumers by introducing Personalized Photo Candles that commemorate fun occasions and capture a moment in time.
The concept was sparked after the Yankee Candle team identified a growing consumer trend: a desire for tailored purchasing experiences and custom products with a personal connection.
Yankee Candle’s Personalized Photo Candles allow consumers to select their preferred candle style, their favorite fragrance and a personal photo of their choosing to create their own personalized candle label. The program represents the brand’s commitment to connecting people to special moments in their lives and bringing those moments to life every time they light their Personalized Photo Candle, providing a keepsake to be enjoyed far longer than the candle burns.
An employee idea that was first brought to life on Yankee Candle’s direct to consumer website in 2015, Personalized Photo Candles were featured in a Q4 2016 holiday television advertisement that touted the capability online and generated an enthusiastic response from Yankee Candle fans. Following its success, in the first quarter of 2017, the decision was made to roll out the capability to Yankee Candle’s 500+ retail stores.
In the span of only a few months, a cross‑functional team was assembled to deploy the technology to Yankee Candle’s retail stores in time for Mother’s Day 2017. Beginning approximately four weeks prior to the holiday, the team began airing television advertising spots, promoting the roll‑out of the Personalized Photo Candle capability at Yankee Candle retail locations.
As a result, in‑store revenue for the pre‑Mother’s Day Saturday was the strongest in company history, with nearly 23,000 Personalized Photo Candles sold that day and more than 50,000 over the course of the weekend. Importantly, online sales of Personalized Photo Candles also benefited from the advertising, growing nearly 300 percent throughout the campaign. The combination of the television campaign and in‑store marketing programs promoting Personalized Photo Candles drew in new customers at nearly double the typical rate.
An ideal way to celebrate and capture an array of special moments in addition to holidays like Mother’s Day, Yankee’s Personalized Photo Candles exemplify Newell Brands’ commitment to offering consumers innovative, design‑focused products.
2017 was a transformative year for our E‑commerce Division, which now employs more than 400 people. These e‑commerce experts helped generate strong double‑digit growth in 2017 across our e‑commerce business. In fact, e‑commerce now represents approximately 11 percent of Newell Brands’ net sales.
Already known for its expressive aromas, Yankee Candle doubled down on the power of scented candles to create intimate connections with consumers by introducing Personalized Photo Candles that commemorate fun occasions, capture a moment in time for a selfie‑obsessed generation and help enhance home décor.
