Ember & Oak: from DM ping-pong to one perfect order
A concept shop for a candle maker who sells on Instagram: customers design their candle and send the whole order in one message.
01 · Context
A maker who sells through DMs
Lots of small makers sell custom products only through Instagram. This concept is based on a friend who pours custom candles: every order is a conversation, and every candle is different.
02 · The problem
Custom orders by DM are slow
Scent, size, colour, label text, price, “is it a gift?”… each detail is another message. Orders take days, details get lost, and some customers give up halfway.
03 · The goal
One message with every detail
Let the customer design the candle themselves and send one complete order message. No checkout, no fees, no app. The maker keeps working in Instagram, the way they already do.
04 · The solution
Design it, see it, add it
- Candle builder with a live preview. Pick a scent, size, colour and a name for the label, and the candle on screen redraws with every choice.
- A basket that does the maths. Quantities, an automatic 10% discount on three or more, and an optional gift note.
- One tap to order. The site writes the finished message, ready to copy into Instagram or send by email.
- Scent quiz (“What mood are you in?”), English and Bulgarian, and dark mode.
Real output from the site:
Hi! I'd like to order: - 1 x Cedar & Smoke, Large 300 g, Sea, Label: Maria - 1 x Linen & Sea, Small 180 g, Sea - 1 x Baked Apple, Small 180 g, Rose This is a gift. Note: Happy birthday, Maria! Total: €39.60 (incl. 10% discount)
05 · Built light
The whole shop is one small file
The entire site is a single 40 KB HTML file that loads in one request, with no framework. That's smaller than one Instagram photo. It loads fast on a weak phone signal and costs nothing to host.
06 · Next steps
For a real launch
The maker's own product photos, a simple order log in Google Sheets so nothing gets missed, and basic visitor analytics to see which scents people design most.
Concept project. The shop, products and prices are made up.