Who buys a Pott, what they are trying to solve, and how far along they are when an ad reaches them. Built from 36,751 orders, 12,167 Meta purchases, 9,491 Triple Whale journeys, four post-purchase polls and 2,405 reviews. Every number on this page is computed from those files. Internal working document; the persona doc itself is clients/pott-candles/personas.md (draft).
01 · How the personas were built
Six sources, six findings, three people
Each persona is a pattern that turned up independently in at least two sources. Two long-standing base facts did not survive this refresh and have been corrected: the buyer is older than the old survey suggested, and the subscription base is now large enough to change what the second persona is for.
A first-time buyer decides the same dayTriple Whale
Half the order base is now a subscriptionShopify
Meta discovers her, Klaviyo closes herTriple Whale
Price is the objection, in every cohortZigpoll + reviews
The gift is the acquisition loopShopify + Zigpoll
→
Three personas
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-aware
The Refill LoyalistMost aware
The Gift-GiverProblem-aware
Buy for themselves
72.2%
post-purchase poll, n=413
Aged 45 and over
70.3%
of 12,167 Meta purchases
First-time buyer decides in
0.4 days
median, first click to order
Product pages compared
7
median per order, 37 at p90
Recurring subscription orders
50.3%
of monthly volume by end of window
Price named as the hesitation
60%
of non-trivial poll answers
02 · The buyer changes by season
Same brand, four different buyers across the year
Meta purchases by age and gender, four seasonal windows. The buyer is 89% female and 45 and over takes 70.3% of purchases across the year. Autumn is her oldest (45+ is 79.4%), summer her youngest, and December is when men arrive: male share roughly triples. The 2023 survey that put the centre at 35 to 54 was follower-recruited and should be used for language, not demographics.
Autumn (1 Sep to 31 Oct 2025)
2,086 purchases · women 90% · men 8% · under 55: 49%
Christmas (1 Nov to 24 Dec 2025)
3,774 purchases · women 83% · men 16% · under 55: 60%
Spring (Mar to May 2026)
1,789 purchases · women 92% · men 7% · under 55: 56%
Summer (Jun to Aug 2026)
2,632 purchases · women 90% · men 10% · under 55: 62%
WomenMen
Google conversions by age (determined only)
Search and Shopping, 12 months. 38% of Google conversions have no age attached and are excluded.
55-64
17.4%
45-54
15.1%
35-44
13.8%
25-34
10.0%
65+
5.2%
18-24
1.1%
Where the purchase happens
Meta placements, last 12 months. 97% of purchases are inside the mobile app.
facebook feed
34.9%
instagram feed
31.4%
instagram stories
19.7%
instagram reels
5.3%
facebook reels
3.7%
03 · It is a gift business hiding in the data
The order data undercounts gifts; the reviews do not
Shopify only sees a gift when the shipping surname differs from the billing surname, which misses every gift sent within a family. The proxy runs 7.2% overall and peaks in summer, not at Christmas, because Q4 gifts are wrapped at home rather than sent. The gift bag add-on is the better Q4 signal: 14.6% of December orders. The post-purchase poll is better than both: 20.8% of buyers say the order is a gift, and almost none of them are subscribers.
What 2,405 reviews talk about
Swipe to see all months
Orders with the £1 message card, by month
Swipe to see all months
What 2,405 reviews talk about
Share of reviews whose title or body matches each theme (regex, overlapping).
The scent itself
45.2%
A beautiful object
29.0%
Refillable
9.4%
Less waste
9.6%
Bought as a gift
11.2%
Packaging and delivery
15.0%
Scent throw
4.8%
Buying again
6.9%
Worth the price
4.8%
Burn time
2.7%
The words she actually uses
The review corpus cannot answer who the candle was for, even at full size: "mum" appears in 0.4% of reviews. What it CAN give is her vocabulary, which is what a copywriter actually needs from it. Note how affective it is: she reaches for lovely, beautiful and gorgeous far more than for quality or value.
"Love it"
27.8%
"Beautiful"
18.8%
"Lovely"
18.7%
"Gorgeous"
9.9%
"Amazing"
7.7%
"Quality"
5.2%
"Perfect"
4.8%
"Favourite"
2.9%
"Fresh"
1.7%
04 · Product mix
What she actually puts in the basket
Every order classified by its highest-value line item. The axis that matters at Pott is FORMAT, not scent: a Starter Pack is a first purchase or a gift, a refill is a returning customer, and the movement between the two is the whole business model. Starter pack to refill is 17.5% of repeat customers, and refill to refill is 23.8%.
Swipe to see all months
Starter packsRefillsCandles (vessel + refill)DiffusersMatchPottsSamples, gift cards, other
What people search for on Google
Top non-brand search terms by conversions, 12 months. Buyers search the object and the occasion, rarely the person.
potts
56 conv
refillable candles
48 conv
candles
40 conv
candle refill
29 conv
candle
25 conv
refillable candle
24 conv
citronella candles
23 conv
matches
20 conv
candle subscription
16 conv
pots candles
14 conv
match pot
13 conv
tomato candle
13 conv
match pots
13 conv
match holder
12 conv
Search intent buckets
Share of search-term conversions (overlapping buckets). Product nouns and brand dominate; hobby and recipient words are small on Google, large in the reviews.
brand
81.7%
other
15.7%
gift
2.0%
occasion
0.5%
handmade
0.4%
recipient
0.4%
hobby
0.0%
product
0.0%
05 · When and how she buys
She decides the same day, after comparing a lot
Orders by hour (Europe/London)
06:00
0.9%
07:00
2.8%
08:00
4.2%
09:00
5.6%
10:00
5.6%
11:00
4.8%
12:00
4.3%
13:00
4.1%
14:00
3.7%
15:00
3.8%
16:00
3.9%
17:00
4.1%
18:00
4.0%
19:00
5.1%
20:00
4.7%
21:00
4.8%
22:00
2.7%
23:00
1.3%
Orders by day
Mon
13.5%
Tue
12.4%
Wed
12.3%
Thu
13.9%
Fri
16.3%
Sat
16.2%
Sun
15.4%
Items per basket
1 item
66.9%
2 items
20.0%
3+ items
13.1%
Orders per customer in twelve months
First to second order, by animal family, share of repeat customers.
refills to refills
23.8%
starter packs to refills
17.5%
starter packs to other
12.2%
starter packs to starter packs
10.9%
other to refills
5.7%
other to other
5.5%
candles to refills
4.1%
refills to other
3.2%
refills to starter packs
3.1%
starter packs to candles
2.5%
other to starter packs
1.8%
refills to candles
1.3%
candles to starter packs
1.2%
candles to other
1.1%
matches to refills
1.0%
candles to candles
0.9%
other to candles
0.8%
refills to matches
0.5%
matches to matches
0.4%
starter packs to matches
0.4%
starter packs to diffusers
0.4%
candles to matches
0.3%
diffusers to refills
0.2%
matches to other
0.2%
other to matches
0.2%
matches to starter packs
0.2%
matches to candles
0.2%
candles to diffusers
0.1%
refills to diffusers
0.1%
other to diffusers
0.1%
matches to diffusers
0.1%
diffusers to starter packs
0.1%
diffusers to other
0.0%
diffusers to diffusers
0.0%
Orders per customer, 12 months
1
60.1%
2
15.8%
3
7.5%
4+
16.6%
New customer share of revenue, by month
Share of each month's revenue from customers placing their first ever order, computed from two years of Shopify orders rather than from attribution. It peaks in November at 51.3% and bottoms out in April at 23.5%. Q4 is the acquisition engine and the first half of the year is the refill engine, which is why the January refill wave has to be built in December. Separately, Triple Whale shows the consideration window was hiding two different people: a first-time buyer converts in 0.4 days at the median, a returning one in 251.6, and the blended 163.8 described nobody. She lands, opens seven product pages in one sitting, and buys.
Swipe to see all months
06 · The five stages of awareness
Where each persona is standing when the ad arrives
Eugene Schwartz's ladder, written in Pott terms. A persona's stage decides the hook, the objection to answer and the proof to show. It never decides campaign structure: delivery stays broad and is never split by stage or persona.
1
Unaware
›
2
Problem-aware
›
3
Solution-aware
›
4
Product-aware
›
5
Most aware
1
Unaware
Not thinking about candles. Buys one in a supermarket when she notices the last one is gone, and has never wondered why the jar goes in the bin.
no persona sits here; broad prospecting meets her as she scrolls
2
Problem-aware
Something is wrong with how she buys candles: they cost a lot, they run out, the empty jars pile up, and the nice ones are the ones she resents replacing. She has not yet imagined an alternative.
The Gift-Giver
3
Solution-aware
Knows refillable candles exist and that a nice vessel could stay. Comparing on scent strength, how the refill actually works, whether the pottery is worth it, and whether she will like a scent she cannot smell.
The Scent-Led Home Curator
4
Product-aware
Knows Pott. Has seen the handmade pottery and the colours, follows on Instagram, and is waiting for the right scent, the right colour or the right moment.
no persona sits here; broad prospecting meets her as she scrolls
5
Most aware
Owns a Pott. The question is no longer whether, it is which scent next, what cadence, and whether the subscription can be bent to fit her.
The Refill Loyalist
07 · The personas
Three people, in depth
Each profile shows what the data says about her, what she cares about, her stage, the six-field use case in her own words, three verbatim reviews, and the concepts written for her. Persona colours are used consistently everywhere on this page.
P1
The core self-buyer
The Scent-Led Home Curator
Woman, late forties to early sixties, buying for her own home. Living room first, kitchen second. She decides in one sitting.
In the data
She buys for herself: 72.2% answer "myself" and only 20.8% "a gift for someone else" (Zigpoll, n=413)
Living room 33.9%, kitchen 16.5%, both together 13.9% (Zigpoll, n=395)
She decides the same day: median 0.4 days from first click to order for a first-time buyer, against 251.6 for a returning one (Triple Whale)
But she compares hard inside that session: 7 product pages at the median, 37 at the 90th percentile (Triple Whale)
Meta purchases by age and gender, this persona's season
Autumn window: 90% women, 51% aged 55 and over (Meta purchases)
WomenMen
Interests and what matters to them
Scent strength and whether it carries through a room
The pottery as an object she leaves out whether it is lit or not
Colour, and which colour goes with the room it will live in
Whether she will like a scent she has never smelled
Stage of awareness
1
Unaware
›
2
Problem-aware
›
3
Solution-aware
›
4
Product-aware
›
5
Most aware
She is not being introduced to the idea of a refillable candle so much as judging this one. Her open questions are the scent she cannot smell and whether the pottery justifies the outlay.
Use case, in the customer's words
Problem
Nice candles are expensive and finite, and the jar she paid for is worthless the moment the wax runs out.
Desire
A candle that reads as considered in her living room, and a way to keep having it without paying full price every time.
Failed solution
Supermarket candles whose scent does not travel; expensive candles she resents finishing. Framed as her saving, never as waste guilt (standing rule).
Reason to believe
Handmade in the UK by independent potters; 4.78 average across 2,405 reviews, 88% of them five stars; the scent is what 45% of reviews talk about.
Micro moment
Lighting it at the point in the evening when the house goes quiet.
Trigger moment
The season turning; a scent drop; the current candle burning down; payday.
Objections
Cannot smell it first, which is the second most common named hesitation; price, which is by far the first at 60% of non-trivial poll answers and 26% of the unhappy reviews; which size and colour to choose. The full review corpus adds two the poll never surfaced: getting the old wax out, and MatchPott strikers that do not strike.
“Tonka is the BEST candle I have ever smelt. The throw is amazing. It fills the house with the most beautiful smell.”
Natalie P. · Tonka Refillable Candle
“Tonka is my all around fav! (Though I have seasonal favourites as well :) ) Tonka got me hooked on Pott, can't say enough good things”
Angela F. · Tonka Refillable Candle
“Really like the Tonka candle aroma, a firm favourite.”
Gill B. · Tonka Refillable Candle
Concepts written for this persona (Gate B, pott-content-diversity.pages.dev)
Made by hand, kept for yearsBuy the pottery onceScent of the monthWhich room does yours live in
P2
Half the order base, and the persona that changed most
The Refill Loyalist
Owns at least one Pott, often several. Half of all monthly orders are now recurring subscription orders. She is not deciding whether to subscribe; she is trying to run the subscription she already has.
In the data
Recurring subscription orders reached 50.3% of monthly volume inside the window, from 0% at the start, and are 30.8% of the year
Refill to refill is the biggest repeat path at 23.8% of repeat customers, with starter pack to refill next at 17.5%
Median gap between first and second order is 31 days, 25th percentile 19, 75th 65
Subscription AOV is £40.84 against £71.08 for non-subscription orders, so she orders more often for less each time
Meta purchases by age and gender, this persona's season
Repeat is the engine: 39.9% of identified customers ordered twice or more inside 12 months
WomenMen
Interests and what matters to them
Cadence that matches how fast she actually burns a candle
Swapping the scent with the season without losing her place in the queue
Adding a one-off to an order that is already scheduled
Pausing rather than cancelling
Stage of awareness
1
Unaware
›
2
Problem-aware
›
3
Solution-aware
›
4
Product-aware
›
5
Most aware
She owns the proof. Nothing needs arguing. What she needs is control: cadence, swapping the scent, adding a one-off to a scheduled order, and pausing without cancelling.
Use case, in the customer's words
Problem
The subscription is close to what she wants but not bendy enough, and every workaround costs her either shipping or her place in the schedule.
Desire
Never think about it again, and still get to change her mind about the scent.
Failed solution
Cancelling and re-subscribing to change something; paying £4.50 shipping on a one-off she could not attach to her scheduled order.
Reason to believe
She already owns the product and trusts it. "I am an existing customer so know that the quality of the product is good."
Micro moment
The refill landing on the doormat before she noticed the last one was low.
Trigger moment
The season turning and wanting a different scent; the pot burning down early.
Objections
Price stays live even after subscribing: 32 of the 109 price hesitations come from active subscribers. Plus a live checkout bug showing a £65 to £69 recurring total against an advertised £25 to £29, reported by at least five buyers.
“Should have been able to add to regular order.”
Subscriber · Zigpoll post-purchase
“Would like to have better subscription options - like a 30/60/90 day one”
Subscriber · Zigpoll post-purchase
“Postage, it was free with my subscription but thought to try a new accent and you added £4.50”
Subscriber · Zigpoll post-purchase
Concepts written for this persona (Gate B, pott-content-diversity.pages.dev)
One Pott, every seasonChange your scent, not your PottHow to run your subscriptionThe refill ritual
P3
The Q4 engine, and the acquisition loop
The Gift-Giver
Buys a Starter Pack as a complete gift in one box. Almost never a subscriber: of 86 people who said the order was a gift, only 9 had an active subscription.
In the data
November is the biggest month of the year at 5,577 orders, 15.2% of the twelve-month total
The gift bag attaches on 14.6% of December orders and 5.2% of November, against 0% for most of the rest of the year
Gift proxy (shipping surname differs from billing) runs 6.6% in Q4, and it undercounts every gift sent within a family
The gift is the acquisition loop: starter pack to refill is 17.5% of all repeat customers
Meta purchases by age and gender, this persona's season
Christmas window: men rise to 16% of Meta purchases, against 10% across the year
WomenMen
Interests and what matters to them
A gift that reads thoughtful and premium without being risky
One box with everything in it, so there is nothing else to buy
Delivery certainty before the cutoff
Something the recipient keeps rather than uses up
Stage of awareness
1
Unaware
›
2
Problem-aware
›
3
Solution-aware
›
4
Product-aware
›
5
Most aware
She has a person and an occasion, and the usual answers feel thin. She is not comparing refillable candle brands; she is deciding whether this is the right gift at all.
Use case, in the customer's words
Problem
Needs a gift that looks considered for someone who already has enough things, and a candle usually reads as the safe boring option.
Desire
The recipient asking where it came from, and still having it a year later.
Failed solution
A generic candle in a jar; flowers; a voucher. Framed as "hers to keep", never as waste guilt.
Reason to believe
Handmade British pottery; the Starter Pack is visibly a complete gift; the reviews are strong and specific about scent.
Micro moment
The box being opened and the pottery coming out first, before the candle.
Trigger moment
The first cold week of November; the Christmas list; a birthday.
Objections
Choosing a scent for someone else, which doubles the scent-unseen risk; whether the price reads right for the relationship; delivery timing.
“I have been looking for a while - it is a bit of a treat!xx”
Non-subscriber · Zigpoll post-purchase
“Just wanting to know the scent as I can be a bit fussy!”
Non-subscriber · Zigpoll post-purchase
“Bit pricey - will see how long the candle lasts before I buy any more!”
Non-subscriber · Zigpoll post-purchase
Concepts written for this persona (Gate B, pott-content-diversity.pages.dev)
Everything in one boxA gift that gets keptSafe bets for people who are hard to buy for
09 · The year, month by month
Who to build content for, and when
Pott's buyer changes through the year, so content has to be built for the right person the month BEFORE their window opens. Each row shows who is buying in that window and what to build during it for the next one. Message planning only: campaigns stay broad.
Sept 2026Candle season restarts. Fig is Scent of the Month. No gifting driver yet, so this is the self-buyer month.
Who is buying (run this)
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-awareThe Refill LoyalistMost aware
New-customer share 49.8% of revenue. Autumn is the OLDEST buyer of the year: 45+ takes 79.4% of Meta purchases. Sept 1-8 read: new-customer revenue up 14% year on year, returning down 8%.
Build now, for next window
The Q4 gifting set, in full. Gifting creative was at zero spend ten weeks before Q4 last year and the same gap is open now. Also build the subscription-management content P2 is explicitly asking for: cadence, scent swapping, adding a one-off to a scheduled order.
The Gift-GiverProblem-awareThe Refill LoyalistMost aware
Oct 2026Gift buying starts before gifters admit it. October orders more than double September with no Christmas push.
Who is buying (run this)
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-awareThe Gift-GiverProblem-aware
Oct 2025: 3,537 orders against 1,836 in September, new-customer share 45.0%. Meta CPMs are cheaper in October than September.
Build now, for next window
Everything November needs, finished by 1 Nov: the Starter Pack as a complete gift in one box, which is what 76% of gift orders already are, plus the Black Friday assets.
The Gift-GiverProblem-awareThe Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-aware
Nov 2026The biggest month of the year, and Black Friday on 27 Nov.
Who is buying (run this)
The Gift-GiverProblem-awareThe Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-aware
5,751 orders, 15.2% of the twelve-month total, and the year's highest new-customer share at 51.3%. Gift bag attaches on 5.2% of orders against 0% for most of the year. CPMs spike about 50% but CAC holds near £38.
Build now, for next window
December's male gifter. December roughly triples male purchase share, and he will not open seven product pages the way she does, so build the safe-bets shortcut: bestsellers, sets, one confident choice.
The Gift-GiverProblem-aware
Dec 2026Christmas, then the last posting dates around 18 to 20 Dec. December is the cheapest media month of the quarter.
Who is buying (run this)
The Gift-GiverProblem-awareThe Refill LoyalistMost aware
5,067 orders, new-customer share 47.2%. Gift bag attach hits its yearly peak at 14.6% of orders and gift message text at 2.1%.
Build now, for next window
The January refill wave. Every Starter Pack sold this quarter is a refill customer inside about a month: median gap from first to second order is 31 days, and starter pack to refill is 17.5% of all repeat customers. This is a planned campaign, not something that happens on its own.
The Refill LoyalistMost awareThe Scent-Led Home CuratorProduct-aware
Jan to Feb 2027The Q4 cohort comes back. No gifting driver, and the refill engine takes over from the acquisition engine.
Who is buying (run this)
The Refill LoyalistMost awareThe Scent-Led Home CuratorProduct-aware
New-customer share collapses from 47.2% in December to 29.2% in January and 27.0% in February, its floor. 3,155 January orders with nothing seasonal driving them. Refill to refill is the biggest repeat path at 23.8% of repeaters.
Build now, for next window
Spring scent story. And this is the window to fix the subscription friction the polls name, because the people complaining are already subscribers and there is no acquisition peak competing for attention.
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-awareThe Refill LoyalistMost aware
Mar to May 2027Spring. Mothering Sunday is 14 Mar 2027 but it is not a Pott peak and there is no product built for it.
Who is buying (run this)
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-awareThe Refill LoyalistMost aware
Spring is the youngest Meta buyer of the year. New-customer share stays low, 32.2% in March and 23.5% in April, the year's floor. Gift proxy 8.3 to 8.4%.
Build now, for next window
The summer and outdoor set. Also the craft and making content: the workshop footage is evergreen, and the making lane is thin relative to how strongly the object reads in reviews, where 39% mention it being beautiful.
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-awareThe Scent-Led Home CuratorProblem-aware
Jun to Aug 2027Summer. Outdoor and Citronella carry it, and the gift proxy is at its yearly high.
Who is buying (run this)
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-awareThe Gift-GiverProblem-aware
Summer carries 8.1% surname-differs and 10.0% first-name-differs, above Q4, because summer gifts are posted and Christmas gifts are wrapped at home. New-customer share climbs back through the season, 37.5% in June to 46.4% in August.
Build now, for next window
Autumn, and finish it in August. The 2026 autumn drop launched on 1 September with assets still being corrected on the day; the copy round should be locked a fortnight before that.
The Scent-Led Home CuratorSolution-awareThe Refill LoyalistMost aware
The rule of thumb
November is the year. 5,577 orders, 15.2% of the twelve-month total, and it is a gifting month. Gifting creative has to be finished by the end of October, and last year it was at zero spend ten weeks out.
Every Q4 Starter Pack is a January refill. Median gap from first to second order is 31 days. The refill wave is a planned campaign, not something that happens on its own.
Autumn is the oldest buyer of the year at 79.4% aged 45 and over. Write for her, not for the 2023 survey's thirty-somethings.
Autumn creative must be finished in August. The 2026 drop launched on 1 September with assets still being corrected on the day.
What is not on the calendar, and why
Mother's Day is not a Pott peak. February and March gift proxy is 7.9%, below summer's 8.1%, and there is no product built for it.
Easter shows nothing in the order data.
A separate male persona. Men triple in December but they buy the same Starter Pack for the same reason. That is a seasonal use case on P3, not a fourth person.
Scent-based personas. The repeat engine is format-driven, starter pack to refill, not scent-driven. Scent is a hook, not a segment.
08 · Coverage and caveats
What this does and does not prove
Persona x stage x concept
Persona
Stage
Concepts
The Scent-Led Home Curator
Solution-aware
Made by hand, kept for years, Buy the pottery once, Scent of the month, Which room does yours live in
The Refill Loyalist
Most aware
One Pott, every season, Change your scent, not your Pott, How to run your subscription, The refill ritual
The Gift-Giver
Problem-aware
Everything in one box, A gift that gets kept, Safe bets for people who are hard to buy for
Known gaps
The review corpus is now complete. 2,405 reviews via the authenticated Yotpo API, replacing an earlier scrape of 373 from the public widget. That scrape was measurably happiness-biased: it read 4.89 with 93% five stars, against 4.78 and 88% across the whole set, and it surfaced only 12 reviews at three stars or below where there are actually 168.
What the full corpus added. Among the 168 unhappy reviews: price and value 26%, delivery and packaging 18%, getting the old wax out 11%, burn quality and tunnelling 8%, and scent too weak 8%. Two product problems recur that no poll surfaced: MatchPott matches that crumble or will not strike, and at least one report of a paid subscription not being sent.
Reviews still cannot tell us who the gift was for. Even across all 2,405, "mum" appears in 0.4% and any gift language in 8.5%. These are product reviews, not gift reviews, which is the opposite of Sew Heart Felt. The gift picture comes from the post-purchase poll instead, where 20.8% of 413 buyers said the order was a gift.
Polls only reach converted buyers. The hesitations shown are the ones that were overcome, so the true blockers run stronger among the people who did not buy.
No GA4. No credentials in .env. Triple Whale is standing in and covers journey, channel and comparison behaviour.
Trustpilot not read. It returns 403 to an automated request.
Two live conversion leaks are still open and were first flagged on 3 September: the subscription checkout showing a £65 to £69 recurring total against an advertised £25 to £29, and the "New to Pott £5" code failing at checkout.