4 ms·

im actually quite surprised that the online candy market is still so small. candy in general is a multi billion dollar industry and with the benefit of the larg

im actually quite surprised that the online candy market is still so small. candy in general is a multi billion dollar industry and with the benefit of the large hn community and its multiple first page posts, i expected them to have grew to a mega online mall for candies by now. its quite an interesting case, what could be the problem here?

bemmu 9y ago
Partly my reluctance to expand to having a warehouse of products. As it is now I know exactly how many of each product I need, so there is no need to store anything except only for the duration of shipping. It also means mostly shipping can be done in batches, instead of daily like a mega online mall would require.
- justinclift 9y ago
  Any idea when you'll get the stats article done? :D
sushid 9y ago
There are a few things removed in your assumption: 1. Most prefer what they're familiar with. They grew up with the candies in their local stores so they might not be too eager to purchase foreign candies. 1. Candy is often a very impulsive purchase. You might grab a small bag or a bar at the checkout aisle. As a result, a monthly scheduled purchase might not be what people are looking for.
- EliRivers 9y ago
  Most prefer what they're familiar with. Don't they just. Convincing people who grew up eating ketchup that it's revolting is almost impossible.
  - Rapzid 9y ago
    Mustard is the one, true condiment.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
      Pardon me, would have you any Grey Poupon.
  - cm2012 9y ago
    Ketchup is a good mix of acidity and sweetness - nothing wrong with it.
    - EliRivers 9y ago
      As far as I can tell, its primary purpose is to act as an ingestible food lubricant, designed to smother the taste and texture of what it goes around with as much sugar and salt as they can get into vinegar without a crust of salty sugar spontaneously forming.
      - mercurysmessage 9y ago
        There are many different kinds of ketchup. Japanese ketchup is less sweet, and tastes like it has more tomato in it for example.
- schoen 9y ago
  It's interesting to me to see the huge level of nostalgia for local sodas and candies that people often have. (I have it too, like Moxie from New England, distinctively flavored with gentian violet roots.) It seems some candy and soda shops with a broad selection are doing really well with this nostalgia, maybe especially with the amount that people move around these days. ("Oh, I haven't had this in ages!")
crispyambulance 9y ago
There's something about candy that's very polarizing, at least in the USA. Candy used to be a very regional delicacy, every place had their specialities. At some point in the 20th century large candy companies addressed the mass markets and homogenized candy into less and less interesting treats. Now you really have to look for candy bars that are anything more than caramel, cheap chocolate and some nuts. There's a whole book on this topic: "Candy Freak" by Steve Almond. Italy, Japan and China still very much value a wide variety flavors and textures in their sweet confections. Where italy focuses on expertly maintaining tradition, the Asian countries seem to aim for extreme novelty. I like all of them.
- imron 9y ago
  > and China still very much value a wide variety flavors and textures in their sweet confections I don't know about Italy and Japan, but China doesn't really seem to go for sweet confections at all, and if you think cheap chocolate is bad in western countries, cheap Chinese chocolate is even worse.
  - crispyambulance 9y ago
    You're right that Chinese "confections" aren't sweet, at least in the way westerners expect. But they have a spectacular range of flavors and textures.

bemmu 9y ago

Partly my reluctance to expand to having a warehouse of products. As it is now I know exactly how many of each product I need, so there is no need to store anything except only for the duration of shipping. It also means mostly shipping can be done in batches, instead of daily like a mega online mall would require.

justinclift 9y ago
Any idea when you'll get the stats article done? :D

sushid 9y ago

There are a few things removed in your assumption: 1. Most prefer what they're familiar with. They grew up with the candies in their local stores so they might not be too eager to purchase foreign candies. 1. Candy is often a very impulsive purchase. You might grab a small bag or a bar at the checkout aisle. As a result, a monthly scheduled purchase might not be what people are looking for.

EliRivers 9y ago
Most prefer what they're familiar with. Don't they just. Convincing people who grew up eating ketchup that it's revolting is almost impossible.
- Rapzid 9y ago
  Mustard is the one, true condiment.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
    Pardon me, would have you any Grey Poupon.
- cm2012 9y ago
  Ketchup is a good mix of acidity and sweetness - nothing wrong with it.
  - EliRivers 9y ago
    As far as I can tell, its primary purpose is to act as an ingestible food lubricant, designed to smother the taste and texture of what it goes around with as much sugar and salt as they can get into vinegar without a crust of salty sugar spontaneously forming.
    - mercurysmessage 9y ago
      There are many different kinds of ketchup. Japanese ketchup is less sweet, and tastes like it has more tomato in it for example.
schoen 9y ago
It's interesting to me to see the huge level of nostalgia for local sodas and candies that people often have. (I have it too, like Moxie from New England, distinctively flavored with gentian violet roots.) It seems some candy and soda shops with a broad selection are doing really well with this nostalgia, maybe especially with the amount that people move around these days. ("Oh, I haven't had this in ages!")

crispyambulance 9y ago

There's something about candy that's very polarizing, at least in the USA. Candy used to be a very regional delicacy, every place had their specialities. At some point in the 20th century large candy companies addressed the mass markets and homogenized candy into less and less interesting treats. Now you really have to look for candy bars that are anything more than caramel, cheap chocolate and some nuts. There's a whole book on this topic: "Candy Freak" by Steve Almond. Italy, Japan and China still very much value a wide variety flavors and textures in their sweet confections. Where italy focuses on expertly maintaining tradition, the Asian countries seem to aim for extreme novelty. I like all of them.

imron 9y ago
> and China still very much value a wide variety flavors and textures in their sweet confections I don't know about Italy and Japan, but China doesn't really seem to go for sweet confections at all, and if you think cheap chocolate is bad in western countries, cheap Chinese chocolate is even worse.
- crispyambulance 9y ago
  You're right that Chinese "confections" aren't sweet, at least in the way westerners expect. But they have a spectacular range of flavors and textures.