Queer Candle Co. Case Study
MAGNETIQ propels Queer Candle’s exculsive new scents into the homes of their loyal customers.
“Launching Queer Candle Club with MAGNETIQ has been a great experience for our brand. We had the opportunity to bring already loyal customers into our scent development process and find new candle fans to try out our products..."
Founded in 2018, Queer Candle Co. was born when the couple behind the candles decided to take their candle-making hobby and turn it into a business. Their soy wax candles are poured by hand in small batches using authentic and non-toxic fragrances. Every candle is decorated on top with a visual representation of the scent.
Queer Candle Co. attributed most of its growth as a company to its in-person engagement at weekend markets and its growing number of wholesale partners selling their candles. However, while they had created a strong brand and connection with their customers in a brick and mortar setting, they were missing a similar connection with their fans online.
They launched their Instagram as their main digital marketing channel, but as time progressed they started to see a decline in organic engagement. They were losing touch with their most dedicated buyers and fans. In particular, the interest they used to get for new product launches was significantly lower than previous years. They were on the search for new ways to engage with their customers and bring to market new products.
A critical solution Queer Candle Co. sought was a new way to get their biggest fans excited about new products launches. When they found MAGNETIQ, they saw a solution that could not only create a special experience for their most dedicated customers, but give them insights into who their biggest fans were and what they thought about their new product offerings.
They launched the “Queer Candle Club”, a set of programs focused around early access to new candle scents and thrifted mugs. To date they have run two paid programs, each of which has included a new candle scent, additional candles of the users choice, a surprise throw-in (thrifted mugs, tote bags, candle warmers), and the opportunity to get closer to the founders via content and surveys.
Queer Candle Co. had finally found an all-in-one solution that could facilitate a complex, but engaging program with the same ease as posting on Instagram. Plus invaluable insights at a customer level to boost their customer intelligence and improve their offerings.
Setting up and launching on MAGNETIQ was a breeze. The Queer Candle team was able to get the "Queer Candle Club" up and running in less than 15 minutes and pre-scheduled all their activations for the program in one go. This saved them hours of effort, allowing for more time to hand pour their candles and conduct critical business activities.
The programs yielded some fantastic results. Not only were customers delighted by a unique, online experience, the business was able to increase its online sales. The amount of sales collected from the Candle Club programs represented 5% of their monthly online volume.
Engagement in the program was extremely high, especially compared to 2%-5% they were experiencing on social media. With a response rate to their product feedback of well over 50%, they were able to get deep insights from their customers. It was even more valuable since it came from customers who had already tried the product and had opted-in.
The team learned that a key differentiator of their candles, the crushed flower decorations, was critical to the decision-making process of their most devoted customers, a key fact that will influence their future operations and offerings.
In MAGNETIQ, Queer Candle Co has added a valuable tool to their toolkit to engage and activate their brand champions.
