I'm with you Dixie. I have scents like Red Clover Tea, Vanilla Champagne and Cantaloupe Lily that sell well. I don't even carry a peppermint.... I've been asked but only a time or two so I just don't carry it.
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NsMar42111
Well-Known Member
Shunt2011, peppermint never sells for me even though personally I love it! I thought that was weird since a few big "small" soap companies sell a ton of it...I stopped making it too.
Six? I'd have empty shelves if I did that...because all I do is soap LOL. If I did lotions and such (in Florida, can't really do) then I can see the logic.
Six? I'd have empty shelves if I did that...because all I do is soap LOL. If I did lotions and such (in Florida, can't really do) then I can see the logic.
I'm one of those who gets overwhelmed by too many choices. But "too many" is way more than just 6 or so. A girlfriend and I went to a full-time artisan soap maker (my friend's cousin) awhile back. We had a blast picking and choosing from the 20-30 baskets of soap scented with all different kinds of fragrances, some EOs only and some FOs.
I also think intensity of the scent is also important. There's another soap maker who sells her soap in the little gift shop where I sell. She offers "naked" soap in several different scents (EO blends only -- no FOs), but her fragrances are very light. I'd guess she's trying to keep costs down while still staying as "natural" as possible, but scenting that lightly seems counterproductive.
I also think intensity of the scent is also important. There's another soap maker who sells her soap in the little gift shop where I sell. She offers "naked" soap in several different scents (EO blends only -- no FOs), but her fragrances are very light. I'd guess she's trying to keep costs down while still staying as "natural" as possible, but scenting that lightly seems counterproductive.
Peppermint for me is also a very poor seller, so I very seldom make it. Lightly scenting for me would be very counterproductive, since they just would not sell
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I don't think I've ever tried just peppermint - I always mix it with something. My eucalyptus mint I have a hard time keeping in stock. I just put out a vanilla mint this week (I actually don't even have it listed in the store yet) and it's almost gone just from word of mouth. Last winter I did a menthol/peppermint/rosemary combo that also sold really well for me (cold season, even though I didn't tout it as a cold reliever people naturally gravitated to it for that use). The only soap with mint that I have had a hard time selling is patchouli mint, at least until I get to a rinky dink little SD town in October and there are a good handful of ladies that buy as much of it as they can. Last year I sold out and took a custom order for more.
I scented on the lighter side up until February or so of this year. I was using FO at .5 oz PPO, and EO at about the same if IRFA (IFRA? ugh, brain fart) allowed it. Last year I started carrying more stock, so it was sitting in my storage longer, and fragrances faded badly in some cases. So I made the improvement this year, and the feedback from regular customers has been really positive on the fresh bars, we'll see how the year goes. I may need to tweak again, or tweak certain fragrances. Of course, I'm also looking into different FO suppliers so all of this is up in the air at this point.
True story: last fall I decided I was going to "rebrand" myself for 2018. My idea looked great on paper, but once I got started, it was not making me happy. So now I'm rebranding back to what I was doing but making some improvements. I've been doing my business for almost three years, and I still feel like I don't have it figured out.
I scented on the lighter side up until February or so of this year. I was using FO at .5 oz PPO, and EO at about the same if IRFA (IFRA? ugh, brain fart) allowed it. Last year I started carrying more stock, so it was sitting in my storage longer, and fragrances faded badly in some cases. So I made the improvement this year, and the feedback from regular customers has been really positive on the fresh bars, we'll see how the year goes. I may need to tweak again, or tweak certain fragrances. Of course, I'm also looking into different FO suppliers so all of this is up in the air at this point.
True story: last fall I decided I was going to "rebrand" myself for 2018. My idea looked great on paper, but once I got started, it was not making me happy. So now I'm rebranding back to what I was doing but making some improvements. I've been doing my business for almost three years, and I still feel like I don't have it figured out.
Lin19687
Well-Known Member
NsMar42111
Well-Known Member
Just a follow up thought, I looked through my sales this year and notice that I tend to sell a few of this and a few of that. It's not like there's six or seven scents that fly off the shelves and everything else sits....so I'm voting against only having six choices. In toothpaste? Sure. But in fun soap? nahhhh too few. Every customer I've spoken to while I'm restocking raves about having so many choices, and I haven't seen anyone look confused. That said, I am planning to organize by scent type again (the store rearranged so it's out of whack)...so fruity together, floral together, foody together, the EO ones together, etc. to help those who get confused.
LilyJo
Well-Known Member
I somehow missed this the first time around.
A while back a consumer show did a survey of a farmers market/craft fair (UK) and looked at what people buy, who from and why. They did an experiemnt of a stall with 20-30 variations of jams and marmalade and measured their sales in a set period with all of their choices. They then repeated the experiment with only 6-8 flavours - their sales doubled.
The general accepted marketing wisdom is that the more variations you offer the more confused people get - they just cant make up their minds so they either buy 'something' but dont come back again or nothing as they cant choose. I know people always have their own anecodotal story that confounds that but its something I always hold in my head, too much choice can sometimes hold a business back just as much as not enought choice.
Not saying anyone is wrong its just something to think about.
A while back a consumer show did a survey of a farmers market/craft fair (UK) and looked at what people buy, who from and why. They did an experiemnt of a stall with 20-30 variations of jams and marmalade and measured their sales in a set period with all of their choices. They then repeated the experiment with only 6-8 flavours - their sales doubled.
The general accepted marketing wisdom is that the more variations you offer the more confused people get - they just cant make up their minds so they either buy 'something' but dont come back again or nothing as they cant choose. I know people always have their own anecodotal story that confounds that but its something I always hold in my head, too much choice can sometimes hold a business back just as much as not enought choice.
Not saying anyone is wrong its just something to think about.
Lin19687
Well-Known Member
I now have about 25. I carry 5 of each, a few I keep more because it sells.
I too am going to organise a bit. Manly, Herbal, Floral, other (?)
I was typing while the above post posted... I want to say that That is a hard market to study. Most people like the basic few jellies, grape, straw, rasp .... Then there are the other un-known that some want to try or need for a certain recipe.
I think unless you did the study based on a full year then I would say ok. but I am not going to sell Pumpkin jelly in April when here in New England November is when it would fly off the shelf.
I think with soap and soap alone, you need variety. I will be taking a bunch off the rack when the Fall scents come out. "Sale" the stuff that is not selling and not stock it again. So my amount will be less.
I am just trying out these FM's around so I need to find out what sells and where.
Main thing to remember is Go for what works in Your market.
I too am going to organise a bit. Manly, Herbal, Floral, other (?)
I was typing while the above post posted... I want to say that That is a hard market to study. Most people like the basic few jellies, grape, straw, rasp .... Then there are the other un-known that some want to try or need for a certain recipe.
I think unless you did the study based on a full year then I would say ok. but I am not going to sell Pumpkin jelly in April when here in New England November is when it would fly off the shelf.
I think with soap and soap alone, you need variety. I will be taking a bunch off the rack when the Fall scents come out. "Sale" the stuff that is not selling and not stock it again. So my amount will be less.
I am just trying out these FM's around so I need to find out what sells and where.
Main thing to remember is Go for what works in Your market.
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I also missed out on this in May. I have at least 25. But do the rest of you notice that one bar will not sell? It can be ever so popular but when it gets down to one bar, it sits. Most people must think the opposite of me. I would think if there is only one bar left then it was a very popular bar. They apparently think there's something wrong with it!
I have about 30 scents maybe a handful more. My customers appreciate the selection. I do find when there is only one or two left they sit. So if it’s something I’m not going to make again it goes in the misfits. Otherwise I make more.
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I’m a little like cerelife, I have lots of soaps with names based on what they are, but I do have some that are unique names that came to be when soaping. Like most of my men’s line is called a famous character from a movie- James Bond, Tyler Durden, Jack Bauer, Sam Elliot. I love adding my little take in a name. That being said, 6 is way too few. I have a list of about 20-30 “regulars” I keep in rotation then try to do something new in at least 1-3 selections. I do help people find something that fits for them, I’m usually pretty good at picking a scent for them based on our conversation. I don’t do a lot of selling though, just a few church events a year with friends.
Carolyn I would be in heaven at your booth, I love variety. [emoji173]️
Carolyn I would be in heaven at your booth, I love variety. [emoji173]️
Lin19687
Well-Known Member
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I also agree 6 scents isn't even close to being enough. I usually have 45-50 scents grouped into scent profile so if someone tells me they don't like fruity I can't direct them to scents they might like. I've seen vendors with only a few scents and watched people walk right past after a quick glance. A well organized, well stocked, attractive booth draws them in every time. I never have a problem with the last bar selling because of the way I set up my displays. I always have 2 bars out with their tester piece and the rest displayed around the booth as decoration so as one sells, I just replace it. As for peppermint, I sell a ton during the holidays. I call it Candy Cane and add red ribbons through it. The rest of the year I don't bother making it.
Me, too! I love Sam Elliot. I once saw him on the slopes at a California ski resort, (or maybe it was just a doppleganger, but I just say it was Sam Elliot.) Now I wish I'd chased after him and taken a good long whiff!
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I’ll have to go check my notes but I think I made Sam Elliot with BB’s Rustic Woods & Rum. I even made little mustache embeds in it
My DIL is 24 and is amazing with social media. She comes up with names that younger people are attracted to that I am like OMG. She makes this one huge bath bomb the is called "Size Really Does Matter". I'm like we CANNOT use that name at craft shows! 
I do a buy 4 get one free special at each show so only having 6 varieties wouldn't work for me either. I try to name my soaps something other than what the FO is called for a couple of reasons... if a customer likes one of my scents, let's say it's Indian Summer and he goes to another soap seller asking for that scent - well they aren't going to have it because it is called something entirely different by the supplier. They may have an Indian Summer but it's not going to be what the customer is looking for. When I was doing the bigger craft shows where there would be several soapers I always liked it when another soaper didn't rename their soaps. There was one that used a lot of Oregon Trail Soap Supplies FO's (obviously because she was using Suz's names for them) and I got to smell them in soap and decide if I liked them or not without having to test them out myself so it was great for me....
NsMar42111
Well-Known Member
I agree that jelly and soap are two completely different markets! I'll try any strawberry jelly but I'm a little chicken of a mango chili orange mint...LOL
LilyJo
Well-Known Member
I think its really interesting seeing what everyone says about 'more is more' and I understand cos its something Ive always struggled with too - think it also depends on how and where you sell and what type of customer you have. Having 40 fragrances might work for one person but for someone else having 6 or 10 might work better, depends on your market, customer, business etc, definitely not a one size fits all.
Think all I am trying to say is that I think its worth bearing in mind as a business/marketing principle - as an example in the UK the huge supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys have got bigger and bigger with more and more choice and thousands of product lines per shop. But in recent years there has been a massive growth in smaller sized shops such as Aldi, Lidi and even smaller Tesco stores - when asked why people choose to shop there (aside from price), one of the next reasons quoted is always that the choice is not overwhelming, thats its easier to find something they like. Its an interesting idea, the balance between offering everything and offering a smaller selection.
Not sure that the answer is tbh but I think its worth bearing in mind.
Think all I am trying to say is that I think its worth bearing in mind as a business/marketing principle - as an example in the UK the huge supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys have got bigger and bigger with more and more choice and thousands of product lines per shop. But in recent years there has been a massive growth in smaller sized shops such as Aldi, Lidi and even smaller Tesco stores - when asked why people choose to shop there (aside from price), one of the next reasons quoted is always that the choice is not overwhelming, thats its easier to find something they like. Its an interesting idea, the balance between offering everything and offering a smaller selection.
Not sure that the answer is tbh but I think its worth bearing in mind.
