The nose knows: new product development at Yankee Candle Company

How does a small company selling premium-priced, scented candles and accessories in the hypercompetitive, forever-fickle consumer giftware industry stay competitive? Does marketing work alone to complete this Herculean task? No! Almost everyone at Yankee Candle Company (YCC) is attuned to sniffing out new product opportunities to offer a constant stream of new items that provide value to the target market. To successfully maintain the new product stream, cross-functional activity among Yankee Candle employees is imperative.