What Are The Best Months For Candle Sales?

Candles make popular gifts and home decor items throughout the year, but certain months and holidays see noticeable spikes in sales. The high seasons for candle sales correspond with major holidays, seasonal changes, and annual events. Understanding the peak times of year for candle purchases can help retailers, manufacturers, and consumers plan accordingly.

Late fall through winter tends to be the highest sales period, driven by several back-to-back holidays and gift-giving occasions. Candles play a major role in holiday decor and setting a warm, cozy atmosphere during the colder months. Spring and summer also see upticks around seasonal events like graduations and weddings. Let’s explore the prime months and driving factors behind candle sales fluctuations throughout the calendar year.

Winter Holidays

The winter holiday season from November through December is a prime time for candle sales. Several major holidays occur during this period, where candles are commonly used to set the mood and ambiance.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an 8-day Jewish holiday that typically falls in November or December. Families light a menorah candle holder each night, making candles a significant part of the holiday’s traditions. Hanukkah candles come in many sizes, shapes and scents to suit the ceremonial candle lighting.

Christmas in December is filled with opportunities for candle décor. Many people decorate their homes with Christmas candles as part of their holiday decor. Scented jar candles, votive candles and taper candles are commonly used to create cozy scenes. Christmas Eve church services rely on candlelight. Wreath candles are another popular decorative item.

The New Year’s Eve holiday on December 31 also provides chances for candle sales. Tabletop candles can lend warm lighting to New Year’s Eve parties. Battery-operated flameless candles are safe options for centerpieces and outdoor lighting. As people celebrate the end of one year and the start of another, candles help set the mood for the midnight countdown.

Valentine’s Day

February 14th is the most romantic day of the year. Valentines Day is all about celebrating love and romance. It’s a popular gift giving holiday with candies, flowers, cards, jewelry and more exchanged between lovers, friends, spouses, family members and even secret admirers. Scented candles make for a thoughtful and meaningful Valentine’s Day gift. They can help set the mood for a romantic dinner or evening at home. Candle sales tend to see a boost around this love filled holiday as people look for gifts that show how much they care. The gift of a scented candle conveys warmth and says “I love you” in a lasting way. Sales of red, pink and heart shaped candles often surge leading up to and on February 14th itself. Candles with romantic scents like vanilla, jasmine and rose also tend to sell well around Valentine’s Day. For candle makers and sellers, having these types of candles ready to go for the Valentine’s Day shopping rush is key.

Spring

Spring is a popular time for candle sales as people start to come out of winter hibernation. The increasing daylight from the spring equinox means people are awake and active for more daylight hours. Spring cleaning leads people to update their home decor, providing an opportunity to bring in new scented candles to freshen up the home. Easter lands in the spring, and candles are often given as gifts or used to decorate the home for this holiday. Scented candles come in popular spring scents like floral, fresh linen, lemon, and other light, refreshing fragrances.

Here are some key reasons candle sales increase in spring:

• Increasing daylight from daylight savings time
• Spring cleaning and home decor updates
• Floral and light spring scents become popular
• Easter holiday celebrations

The spring season provides plenty of opportunities for candle sellers to boost sales. Marketing spring-themed scents and decor-friendly candles can attract customers looking to refresh their homes after winter.

Wedding Season

The summer months are prime wedding season, which is great news for candle sales. June, July, and August see the most weddings take place all year as couples often prefer to get married when the weather is warm and sunny. Outdoor weddings are especially popular in summer, and candles make for great decor whether the venue is a backyard, garden, beach, or park. From the ceremony to the reception, candles help create ambiance and romance.

Votive candles lining the aisle, table centerpieces, candlelit lanterns outdoors, candles floating in water displays – these are just some of the ways brides and wedding planners use candles to enhance summer weddings. As a decorative accent, candles convey celebration, warmth, and classic elegance. Candle sales tend to surge leading up to the busy wedding months as couples plan their decor and make purchase orders. For candle shops and vendors, marketing specifically to engaged couples shopping for wedding decor is a smart move during this season.

Back to School

The back to school season is a major time for candle sales as parents, students, and teachers prepare for the fall. As summer comes to an end in August and September, there’s a rush to get ready for the new school year. Families start buying school supplies, new clothes, and dorm room items. Candles make great decorative and functional additions to a student’s bedroom or a teacher’s classroom.

Scented candles help create a comforting environment and establish a routine. Bakery or apple scents remind people of the fall season. Floral and citrus candles provide an uplifting aroma and help mask imperfect dorm or classroom smells. For older students living on their own for the first time, candles make great housewarming gifts. Smart candles with timers are useful for waking up for early classes or studying at night. The back to school season represents an exciting fresh start, and candles help set the mood.

Halloween – A Spooky Season for Candle Sales

Halloween is a major holiday known for spooky decorations, costumes, and parties. This makes it an excellent time of year for candle sales. Retailers typically see a spike in candle purchases in October as people decorate their homes for Halloween festivities.

Scented candles are especially popular for Halloween. Scents like pumpkin spice, apple cider, and marshmallow are quintessential fall fragrances that set the mood for the holiday. Stores stock up on these seasonal scents ahead of October.

Halloween-themed jar candles also sell well. Customers look for candles with spooky labels, colors like black, orange, and purple, and shapes like skulls or jack-o-lanterns. These novelty candles make fun holiday decorations throughout the home.

In addition to scented and decorative candles, taper candles and votives are commonly purchased for Halloween. These are used to create an ambiance in home decor. Flameless LED candles are also popular for their convinience and safety.

Halloween is all about setting a spooky mood. Candles help achieve this through seasonal scents, colors, and shapes. Smart retailers make the most of this opportunity by stocking up on Halloween-specific candle products in October.

Thanksgiving Is a High Season for Scented Candle Sales

As the weather gets colder and the leaves start to change color, many homes and businesses begin decorating for Thanksgiving. Scents like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice become very popular during this time. The scents remind people of baked goods, warm homes, and the gathering of family and friends for the holiday feast. People love lighting candles with cozy, comforting scents while preparing Thanksgiving meals or relaxing after large family gatherings. The overall increase in home entertaining and cozy atmospheres leads to more candle purchases in November.

In addition to standard jar candles, creative votive and tea light candles shaped like fall leaves, turkeys, and pumpkins fly off shelves this time of year. Thanksgiving scents pair nicely with popular autumnal decor elements like burlap, pinecones, and wreaths. People use Thanksgiving candles to create inviting aromas during pre-dinner appetizers and drinks. The seasonal scents also help set the mood for the upcoming winter holidays.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an important Jewish holiday that lasts for eight days and nights. This holiday commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting the menorah, eating foods fried in oil like latkes and sufganiyot, and exchanging gifts.

Candles play an essential role in Hanukkah traditions and rituals. On each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, an additional candle on the menorah is lit to honor the miracle of the oil. Typically, the shamash (helper) candle is used to light one new candle each night. Lighting the candles and displaying the menorah is a way to publicly share the story and meaning behind Hanukkah.

In addition to lighting the menorah, it’s also customary to say blessings during Hanukkah. On the first night, two blessings are recited – one for the candles and one for the miracles. On subsequent nights, only the first blessing is said. Candle lighting rituals and blessings are an important part of passing down Hanukkah traditions.

Giving and receiving gifts is another Hanukkah custom that involves candles. Small gifts like gelt (chocolate coins) and dreidels are often given. But decorative Hanukkah candles also make popular presents during the holiday. Special Hanukkah candles come in many types like dripless, scented, and colored. Gifting decorative candles helps spread light and joy during the festivities.

Overall, candles hold great symbolic and practical significance for Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah. From lighting the menorah to gifting decorative candles, they help make the Festival of Lights shine brightly.

Christmas

Christmas is the peak season for candle sales as people decorate their homes with holiday scents and colors. The demand for candles spikes in November and December as families prepare for Christmas celebrations and holiday hosting. Scented holiday candles like pine, cinnamon, peppermint, and spruce fly off the shelves.

Candlemakers produce special edition Christmas candles and holiday gift sets to meet seasonal demand. Christmas candles in red, green, gold, and white color schemes dominate inventory. Shoppers buy them to decorate mantles, entryways, and dinner tables. The warm glow and festive scents of Christmas candles help set the holiday mood.

In addition to Christmas tree and snowflake motifs, seasonal candle scents sell well. Candy cane, snickerdoodle, and sugar cookie candles capitalize on nostalgic baked goods aromas. Evergreen, balsam fir, and pine recall the scent of fresh Christmas trees. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and gingerbread scents evoke cozy holiday baking traditions.

Candle sales typically peak the week before Christmas as last-minute shoppers stock up on final holiday decor. After the New Year, stores mark down leftover seasonal inventory to clear shelf space for new spring collections.