Glade Pluglns Test Mass Market Entry
Christine Bittar
Eyeing the boutique home fragrance/aromatherapy craze, S.C. Johnson is testing another potential answer for the mass consumer: Glade Pluglns Scented Oil Warmers, which began shipping last month to test markets St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio.
Perhaps more than in other household categories, consumers are always interested in new ways to lend fragrance to their homes, opening new opportunities for SCJ to generate incremental sales in the $593 million category that Glade dominates.
Unlike the standard Pluglns that use a gel-like wax to fragrance the air, the Oil Warmer Pluglns update the form by employing a small glass bottle with scented oil inside, which, like its other SKUs, gets plugged into an electrical outlet. SCJ will initially introduce PlugIns Scented Oil Warmers in Meadow Breeze, Hawaiian Breeze and Vanilla Breeze fragrances, along with PlugIns Scented Oil Refills. The Plugln Oil Warmers, which last for 60 days, will retail for about $4.99, with refills priced at $2.99. An S.C. Johnson rep would not comment on the test.
S.C. Johnson has previously borrowed concepts from higher-end shops, rolling out candles and potpourri scents earlier in the decade and most recently debuting Glade Simple Escapes, a mass version of pricier aromatherapy candles. While SCJ has had a good track record bringing innovation to the category, some insiders believe the newest PlugIn may prove too high-maintenance to catch on with consumers, particularly because of possible oil leaks and the fragile nature of a glass tube.
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