December is supposed to be extreme candle season. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
With Christmas approaching, winter in full swing and gifting at the forefront of everyone’s minds, the return of Reverie Candle in Westfield White City, the biggest shopping centre in London, felt like a natural win, especially with our most creative Christmas candles yet. What I didn’t anticipate was how much the retail landscape had already shifted by the first weekend of December.
It turns out many shoppers had already finished their Christmas shopping, whether through meticulous planning or Black Friday indulgence the weekend before. And this time, we only had three days to make our mark.
Under different circumstances, three days would have been more than enough, especially with our most creative Christmas candles, but under these circumstances, it was tough.
I’m usually very intentional about sharing the positive moments, but this time I want to be honest. Across those three days, the feedback was consistent: “We absolutely love it, we have never seen candles like this anywhere else, but we just can’t afford it right now.”
As an independent, creative, candle brand, hearing that repeatedly is hard. There’s only so much you can do in the moment. I found myself gently redirecting people towards our candle making workshops in London, which, ironically, are more expensive, or encouraging them to follow our journey on social media.
For a moment, it felt discouraging. New customer acquisition is always the goal when you’re an emerging brand, and in December, that felt slower than expected.
But then something shifted.
One thing has always remained true for Reverie Candle: we have the most incredible community of Dreamers.
I hadn’t realised how frequently people visit shopping centres like Westfield, I personally only go when I need Sephora, but Dreamers we met back in October came back specifically looking for us. Some stopped mid stride when they recognised the brand. Others told us they weren’t expecting to see us there again and that it felt like a pleasant surprise.
They restocked on their favourite candles, they greeted us warmly and they remembered how we made them feel.
December became a masterclass in customer loyalty.
One Dreamer stopped in her tracks when she saw us and immediately bought another candle. When I asked how she was getting on with her first one, she smiled and said she hadn’t even burned it yet, she just had to buy another because of how the experience made her feel the first time. That moment stayed with me.
When I stepped out of my initial emotions and reframed the situation, I realised something important: new customer acquisition matters, but what you do once you’ve acquired the customer matters even more.
December wasn’t about growth in numbers. It was about nurturing the Dreamers we already had. Repeat customers were up in ways I hadn’t anticipated, even if footfall conversions were down and that insight was far more valuable than a sell out weekend.
Do I have outstanding stock? Absolutely but is that the end of the world? Not at all. Candles don’t expire and neither does the dream.
December taught me that Reverie Candle isn’t just about products; it’s about connection, memory and feeling seen. And if that means I’ll see you again next Christmas season, then I’ll be ready, wiser, clearer and even more grounded in the community that makes Reverie a reality, not just a daydream.