2 ms·
You can’t just count on proportion, because the cohort of people buying candles online in March includes a bunch of people who used to buy candles exclusively i
by ashtonkem 6y ago
You can’t just count on proportion, because the cohort of people buying candles online in March includes a bunch of people who used to buy candles exclusively in store. If the previously in-store people were more likely to be picky or have different needs, there is a good chance that they would leave different ratings online. It’s hard to separate those effects. It seems plausible to me that someone who insists on buying candles in store is likely to be more picky than someone who buys online, (or based on my time in Candle sections, is already nose-deaf and need very strong candles), and thus would be more likely to complain.
The big question is what are they buying. If these reviews are coming from people buying the same brand/scent as before, then Covid related scent loss is the most plausible explanation (although I wonder why some one in such a situation would bother to leave a review....). But if these shoppers are buying new scents for fun or availability reasons, it’s hard to separate those who are losing their smell due to Covid from those who are just dissatisfied with a candle they purchased scent unsmelled.
- LorenPechtel 6y agoNote that in the replies to that tweet there's a Google trends for "I can't smell". The graph looks just like the Covid case counts.
- ashtonkem 6y agoI agree that the similarity between reviews and Covid cases is compelling; I’m just pointing out that there are other possible factors.