founder diaries: wax melt pick and mix (and why it was an instant hit)
the wax melt pick and mix wasn't in the original business plan.
it happened because customers started asking for it. and when the same request comes up enough times, you start to pay attention.
where the idea came from
when blissli launched, the wax melts were available as full snap bars, one scent per bar, five sections, order as many as you like. straightforward.
the feedback that started coming in, gradually and then more persistently, was a version of: "i love the scents but i don't want five sections of just one." people wanted variety. they wanted to try the fig one and the lavender one and the citrus one without committing to five of each.
i heard this enough times that it became hard to ignore. so i started thinking about whether there was a practical way to do it.
why it took a minute
pick and mix sounds simple. in practice, it adds complexity to packing and order fulfilment. you're no longer picking a whole bar off a shelf. you're assembling a custom order from up to twelve different scent options. each section needs to be wrapped individually and clearly labelled.
i had to think about whether it was worth the extra work. the answer was yes, because the customer experience was genuinely better. people would be able to try more scents, find the ones they loved and then come back for full bars of those. the short-term increase in complexity was worth the longer-term benefit.
when it launched
the pick and mix went live and the response was immediate. not in an "overnight viral sensation" way. more like: people had clearly been waiting for it. orders came in quickly. the repeat purchase rate on pick and mix customers turned out to be notably high. people tried a few scents, found a favourite or two and came back.
the most popular combinations have been interesting. soft haze and cosy glow together (the warm amber pairing) seems to be a clear favourite. calm opulence from the spring collection has featured in a lot of pick and mix orders, which confirmed that people were using it exactly as intended: to try before committing to a full candle.
what it taught me
the best product decisions at blissli have often come from listening to customers rather than from having a plan. the pick and mix was customer-led. the decision to spotlight nordic forest and luminous veil at christmas was partly based on what people kept choosing. the spring collection scents were refined based on early feedback from people who tested them.
there's a version of running a small business where you make all the decisions in advance and execute the plan. that's not really how it works in practice. the plan is a starting point. what customers actually do changes it.
pick and mix is a good example. it didn't exist until enough people told me it should.
try it yourself
wax melt pick and mix is available and you choose your scents from the full range of twelve, mixing and matching however you like.
if you've been curious about a scent but not sure you want a full bar of it, this is the way to try it.
love, amy.