An interview with Karen Doskow, Kline’s Director, Consumer Products, about our newest service, Shopper Insights Tracking Service for the U.S. Home Fragrances Market.
Q: After 14 years of publishing Home Fragrances: U.S. Market Analysis and Opportunities, what does this new service offer marketers and suppliers of home fragrance products?
A: It is different than our annual report insofar that its focus is on consumers. Shopper Insights Tracking Service for the U.S. Home Fragrances Market is the perfect consumer research resource for discovering pearls of information that can make a difference in marketing plans. These little jewels really uncover subtle nuances in consumer behavior and attitudes, such as a preference for masculine fragrances versus florals. We found that our consumer research findings contradict some commonly held beliefs about these fragrance types.
Q: You say this is a service. Isn’t this the same as a report?
A: No. In fact, this is a service because it measures patterns over a two-year period with four deliverables to our clients. The first two reports essentially reflected buying patterns in 2013. The point behind this service is to compare and contrast patterns from season to season and year to year.
Q: So, what changes were the most significant between the first and second reports?
A: Well, first of all, we were really surprised to see how shoppers viewed scent choices. Secondly, there was a huge amount of shoppers who purchased candles on Amazon.com. In our upcoming research, we will hone in on what draws shoppers to Amazon for a home fragrance purchase. Is it for a repeat purchase? Are they are already familiar with the brand, the scent?
Q: Karen, you have been involved in the home fragrances industry for over 20 years. Without giving it all away, what are the most interesting findings? Does this service look at brands and how they rank on several different attributes?
A: The service does look at the most popular brands and how consumers rate them by product category based on several different attributes. But that’s not really where the strength of this body of research lies. It brings out what the opportunities could be for our subscribers. Before we conduct each online survey, our subscribers weigh in with us on areas of focus that they would like to see added to the survey to better cater to their needs. For example, we added information for the past report on car air fresheners, as well as wax melts due to subscriber demand. So, what surprised me? I would say where people use their products is always surprising. I am a big fan of burning candles throughout the day in my kitchen. I am also surprised to see that home décor value takes a huge back seat to fragrance in terms of what goes into a purchasing decision.
