Maximize Your Candle Business Profit with These Top KPIs!

Attention all entrepreneurs! Are you in the candle making industry and want to learn how to track and calculate your top KPIs? Look no further!

Recent statistics show that the candle industry is worth over $3 billion and is projected to grow by 7.8% by 2025. In order to stay ahead of the competition, it's important to track and analyze your business's progress through key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Average order value per customer: This KPI measures the average amount of money a customer spends on candles per order. By increasing this value, you can increase your revenue and profit margins.
• Inventory turnover ratio: This KPI measures the number of times your inventory is sold and replaced within a given period. Keeping track of this ratio is crucial for managing your expenses and ensuring you always have enough inventory on hand.
• Social media engagement rate: This KPI measures the level of engagement and interaction with your candle brand on social media platforms. By increasing this rate, you can improve brand awareness and customer loyalty.

Ready to learn about the top seven candle making KPI metrics and how to track and calculate them? Keep reading!

Average order value per customer

The Average Order Value per Customer KPI is a crucial metric for candle making businesses. It calculates the revenue generated by each customer. This metric is important because it gives you insights into how much customers are willing to spend on average per order, which can help you make informed pricing decisions and increase revenue.

Definition

The Average Order Value per Customer KPI is the average amount of money spent by each customer on an order.

Use Case

By tracking the Average Order Value per Customer KPI, candle makers can improve pricing strategies and optimize sales. Breaking down how much each customer spends on average can reveal insights on how to encourage customers to spend more and how much more to charge for candle products. It can also help identify patterns and trends in what customers buy and how much they are willing to pay for each type of candle. This information can be used to up-sell customers, further increasing revenue.

How To Calculate KPI

To calculate the Average Order Value per Customer KPI, use the following formula:

Calculation Example

As an example, if a candle making business generates a total revenue of $10,000 from 100 orders, the Average Order Value per Customer would be calculated as:

Therefore, the average value of each order in this example would be $100.

Advantages

• Helps identify profitable customers
• Gives insights on how to maximize revenue per customer
• Can help optimize pricing strategies
• Assists in identifying patterns and trends in customer behavior

Disadvantages

• Does not take into account other factors like frequency of purchases, customer acquisition costs, and customer retention rates
• Can be influenced by seasonal factors and the product mix sold during a particular period of time

Industry Benchmarks

The average order value per customer varies based on industry and business scale. In the United States, the average order value per customer for the candle making industry in 2021 is $50. However, this value varies based on factors such as geographical location, products sold, and target audience.

Percentage of repeat customers

Definition

The percentage of repeat customers is the metric that tracks the percentage of customers who purchase from your candle making business more than once.

Use Case

This KPI is crucial for measuring the success of your business's customer retention efforts and identifying opportunities for improvement in those areas. A high percentage means you're doing well in keeping your customers engaged and satisfied. Moreover, it's 5-25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. Therefore, understanding this metric could save you resources while driving significant revenue.

How To Calculate KPI

You can calculate the percentage of repeat customers with the following formula:

Calculation Example

Suppose your candle making business has 500 unique customers in a given period. Out of them, 100 customers purchased candles from your business more than once. By applying the above formula, the percentage of repeat customers can be calculated as:

KPI Advantages

• The percentage of repeat customers is an excellent metric for measuring customer loyalty and the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
• It can help you identify which customers are more likely to be loyal, allowing you to create targeted retention campaigns for them.
• It informs you about the health of your business and can indicate growth potential.

KPI Disadvantages

• The percentage of repeat customers doesn't account for the frequency of purchases, meaning that a customer who buys a candle every month is treated the same as one who purchases once a year.
• It might not fully account for the cost of customer loyalty programs, which could affect profitability.

KPI Industry Benchmarks

We couldn't find industry-specific benchmarks for this particular KPI for candle making. However, you should aim to have a repeat customer rate of at least 20%, which is the average for most industries.

Number of new retail partnerships established per quarter

Definition

The Number of new retail partnerships established per quarter KPI measures the number of new retail partnerships a candle making company establishes within a quarter. This KPI helps track the effectiveness of a company's partnership strategy and helps in determining the areas that need improvement.

Use Case

The Number of new retail partnerships established per quarter KPI is especially important for a candle making company that wants to increase its reach and exposure to new customers. With more retail partnerships, a company can increase sales, drive revenue growth, and also extend the brand's reach.

How To Calculate KPI

To calculate this KPI, use the following formula:

Where X is the total number of new retail partnerships established within a quarter.

Calculation Example

For example, if a candle making company established five new retail partnerships within a quarter, the Number of new retail partnerships established per quarter KPI would be:

KPI Advantages

• Helps in determining the effectiveness of a company's partnership strategy.
• Enables a company to identify areas that need improvement in their partnership approach.
• Helps in tracking the company's partnership growth over time.

KPI Disadvantages

• Does not provide information about the quality of partnerships established, only the number.
• Does not consider the duration of partnerships, as the KPI only measures new partnerships established within a quarter.
• Can be affected by external factors like economic conditions that may impact retail partnerships' establishment.

KPI Industry Benchmarks for the KPI: 'Number of new retail partnerships established per quarter'

While industry benchmarks may vary based on the candle making company's size, below are some benchmarks that candle makers could consider:

• Small to medium-sized candle making companies: 1-3 new retail partnerships established per quarter.
• Large candle companies: 4-6 new retail partnerships established per quarter.

Top Seven Candle Making KPI Metrics: How To Track and Calculate

Social media engagement rate

Definition: Social media engagement rate measures the level of interaction received on social media platforms. It’s a performance indicator that shows how well your content resonates with your followers. Engagement rate calculates the number of likes, comments, and shares on a post divided by the total number of followers.

Use Case: Social media engagement rate is a crucial metric for candle making businesses that have a social media presence. A high engagement rate means that your content is reaching your target audience and resonating with them. Brands with a high engagement rate are viewed as trustworthy, credible, and authoritative in the eyes of their customers.

How To Calculate KPI: To calculate social media engagement rate for your candle making business, use the following formula:

Calculation Example: Let's say your candle making business has 10,000 followers on Instagram. A recent post received 500 likes, 50 comments, and 200 shares. The engagement rate for that post would be:

KPI Advantages:

• Helps to gauge the effectiveness of social media content
• Makes it easier to create relevant content that people will enjoy
• Allows the business to identify the most effective influencers to collaborate with

KPI Disadvantages:

• High engagement does not always translate into sales
• Not all followers are equal in terms of their value to the business
• Misleading data from paid engagement, automated bots, and fake profiles

KPI Industry Benchmarks: According to a 2021 report by Hootsuite, the engagement rate for Instagram is 1.22% and for Twitter is 0.045%. Results may vary depending on industry, audience, and the type of content.

Percentage of revenue generated from eco-friendly product lines

Definition

The percentage of revenue generated from eco-friendly product lines is a KPI that measures the percentage of revenue earned from products that are designed to have a low environmental impact. This KPI is particularly relevant for companies that focus on sustainability and want to track their performance in this area.

Use Case

The use case for this KPI is to help companies understand how much of their revenue is coming from eco-friendly product lines. By tracking this KPI over time, companies can assess the success of their sustainability efforts and make informed decisions about how to allocate resources to improve their environmental performance.

How To Calculate KPI

To calculate the percentage of revenue generated from eco-friendly product lines, use the following formula:

Calculation Example

Suppose a candle-making company generated $1,000,000 in total revenue, of which $250,000 was from eco-friendly product lines. To calculate the percentage of revenue generated from eco-friendly product lines, use the formula:

KPI Advantages

• Provides a clear indication of a company's commitment to sustainability
• Allows companies to track the success of their eco-friendly product lines
• Can help attract environmentally conscious customers

KPI Disadvantages

• May not be relevant for companies that do not focus on sustainability
• Does not provide insight into the environmental impact of non-eco-friendly product lines
• May be difficult to define what qualifies as an eco-friendly product

KPI Industry Benchmarks

According to a 2021 survey by the Sustainable Brands organization, the average percentage of revenue generated from sustainable products across all industries was 39%. However, this varied significantly by industry, with consumer products and food and beverage companies having the highest percentages (around 50%), and automotive and energy companies having the lowest (around 20%).

Inventory Turnover Ratio

Definition

The inventory turnover ratio is a financial metric that calculates the number of times a company's inventory is sold and replaced over a specific period, usually a year. It measures how efficiently a company manages its inventory to generate sales and profits.

Use Case

The inventory turnover ratio is an essential KPI for companies that rely heavily on inventory to generate revenue. It helps companies determine how fast they can sell their inventory and replenish it to meet demand while minimizing stockouts and excess inventory.

How to Calculate KPI

To calculate the inventory turnover ratio, use the following formula:

• COGS: This is the total cost of the goods sold during a specific period.
• Average Inventory: This is the average value of inventory held during a specific period.

Calculation Example

Let's say Company XYZ had a COGS of $500,000 and an average inventory of $100,000 last year. Their inventory turnover ratio would be:

So, Company XYZ sold and replaced its inventory five times during the year.

KPI Advantages

• The inventory turnover ratio helps companies identify slow-moving inventory and manage it more efficiently to minimize carrying costs.
• It helps companies optimize their inventory levels and avoid stockouts or overstocking.
• The ratio is an essential measure of how well a company's sales and inventory management strategies are working and can help identify potential issues early.

KPI Disadvantages

• The inventory turnover ratio doesn't take into account the margins earned on the inventory sold. Higher turnover doesn't always equate to higher profits.
• The ratio may not be a suitable measure for companies with a highly seasonal business or those with slow-moving, high-value items.
• The average inventory used in the formula may not be representative of actual inventory levels, which can skew the results.

KPI Industry Benchmarks

The inventory turnover ratio varies widely by industry and can be influenced by a company's sales channel, supply chain, and product mix. Here are some industry benchmarks for the inventory turnover ratio:

• Retail 2.8-4.5
• Wholesale 6-8
• Manufacturing 4-6

Top Seven Candle Making KPI Metrics

Average Profit Margin per Candle Sold

Definition: The average profit margin per candle sold is the amount of profit generated for each candle sold. This KPI represents the effectiveness of the business in generating revenue from candle sales.

Use Case: This KPI is essential for understanding the overall profitability of the candle making business and identifying areas for improvement.

How To Calculate KPI:

Calculation Example: If a candle making company sells 100 candles at a revenue of $1,000 and incurs a cost of goods sold of $600, the profit margin would be [(1,000-600)/1,000] = 0.4. Therefore, the average profit margin per candle sold would be 0.4 x 100 = 40%.

KPI Advantages:

• Helps to monitor the effectiveness of the business in generating revenue from candle sales.
• Enables the business to easily identify areas for improvement in pricing, production, and cost reduction to increase profitability.
• Provides a clear indication of the overall financial performance of the candle making business that can be used for future planning.

KPI Disadvantages:

• Does not provide insight into the general business expenses that impact profitability
• Not applicable for businesses that sell candles as a complimentary rather than an essential product.

KPI Industry Benchmarks: According to industry experts, the average profit margin per candle sold is around 40-60%. However, the exact benchmark may vary depending on candle size, type, quality, and market demand.

In conclusion, tracking and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) is crucial for the success of your candle making business. By monitoring important metrics and taking action based on the insights gathered, you can increase your revenue, improve customer loyalty, and stay ahead of the competition.

• Average order value per customer is an important KPI to measure in order to increase revenue and profit margins. By encouraging customers to purchase more items in one order, you can increase the average value of each transaction.
• Inventory turnover ratio is another essential KPI for managing expenses and ensuring that you always have enough inventory on hand.
• Social media engagement rate is a key metric for improving brand awareness and loyalty. By engaging with followers on social media platforms, you can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Other KPIs to track include the percentage of repeat customers, the number of new retail partnerships established per quarter, the percentage of revenue generated from eco-friendly product lines, and the average profit margin per candle sold. By regularly monitoring these metrics, you can identify trends, adjust your strategy as needed, and make data-driven decisions to grow your candle making business.

In today's competitive market for candles, it's critical for entrepreneurs to stay informed about the latest trends and metrics in order to succeed. By focusing on these top KPIs and regularly analyzing your performance, you can position your candle making business for long-term success and growth.