Candles: A Mixed Bag
By Maria Eliades -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 9/1/2006
Candle usage remains popular among female consumers in 2006, though household goods stocks have dropped 11.65 percent on the Dow Jones Industry Index over the past year. Sixty-six percent of women surveyed in 2006 use candles in their homes, a trend that is up 11 percent from 2005, according to Harris Interactive for the National Candle Association. However, only 49 percent consider candles part of their decorating scheme. The same percentage focus on a candle's color when buying, compared to 79 percent who say scent is a key factor.
Candles are also increasing their popularity outside the home, most often as decorative elements in weddings. Forty-three percent of women in the survey reported that the wedding celebrants lit candles during the ceremony and six percent reported seeing candles lit down the aisle at weddings for decor alone. Candles were also noted to have been used in wedding receptions in lieu of flower centerpieces.
