The contingent of men who are learning to love the art of shaving is growing. And though this group shares a common interest, shaving, they are anything but homogenous and the factors that draw them to men's grooming, like the group itself, are varied.
Thus, it goes without saying that the brands that are catering to this growing contingent of shaving aficionados are similarly diverse and today we'll explore a few of them and just how they go about uniquely positioning themselves in the men's shaving space.
Dollar Shave Club
One needn't look farther than the name, Dollar Shave Club, before making an educated guess as to what Dollar Shave Club is looking to do in the men's shaving market. And, if you read Part II of this series, in which we examined the company's business model, then you would definitely not be surprised to learn that Dollar Shave Club is catering to the lower end of the men's shaving market. But that's a more interesting and unique strategy than one would initially believe it to be. After all, are those who comprise the low end of the market also tech saavy, early adopters who would sign up for a subscription service to buy their shaving gear?
Well, without Dollar Shave Club's actual customer data, we can't honestly tell you with certainty if that is indeed the case. But if we had to guess, we'd say that Dollar Shave Club's typical customer is probably fairly tech saavy, an early adopter, and attracted to the convenience and ease of the service just as much as they are the price. In this Uber/on-demand age, we expect things quickly, painlessly, and reliably. Dollar Shave Club delivers on all fronts. They do the job and they do it quickly.
Thus, while it's tempting to label Dollar Shave Club as bottom barrel, it's not necessarily accurate or fair to label their customer base as such. Instead, Dollar Shave Club appeals to those who just want to get shaving over with in a convenient, painless manner. Oh yeah, and they want to do so for the lowest price possible. You can check them out "buy their shaving gear".
Harry's
Harry's makes beautiful products that illustrate just how much the company's founders and employees care about the customer and about creating an amazing shaving experience.
As we discussed yesterday, even the company's business strategy, and the monumentally large risk it took in adopting a vertically integrated strategy, demonstrates that Harry's is committed to delivering a quality product, sans frills.
But what Harry's is equally concerned about is creating a brand. And as we've discussed before, that means, creating an experience. Not just products.
So, while Harry's doesn't cut corners when it comes to the quality and integrity of its products, the company also allows customers to monogram their products to make the experience even more intimate. Furthermore, the Harry's product packaging is simple, elegant, and adds to the experience without taking any attention away from the product and you, the customer.
Finally, the Harry's brand is being built with another, larger mission in mind: to better the lives of those who could use a hand. Practically speaking, this means that Harry's donates 1% of its sales and 1% of employee time to City Year, a New York non-profit that places young adults in schools to help stem the dropout rate. While a noble and kind gesture, in doing so, Harry's is also adding yet another dimension to the Harry's experience and further defining and refining the Harry's brand.
So, for those who believe in craft, quality, and investing in oneself and others, Harry's is a no-brainer.