Gillette Guard, a triumph of on the street research

[haiti222]

A very interesting article that fully details the development of the Gillette Guard, and why it has been such a success in taking a lot of market share from DE razors in India. It details why earlier efforts with other razors such as the Vector were a failure in India. The statistics presented are a little uneven, however. One part of the article seems to indicate the Guard has a 50% market share in India, but the end of the article seems to indicate Gillette has a 50% market share in India. Still, the Guard is clearly doing well.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-razor-forgetting-countrys-running-water.html

 

[cfender]

This article helps bring perspective on the DE razor/blade market.

It was clear to me that Gillette had already almost entirely displaced DE products in the U.S. so while I presumed that the target for the dozens of DE blades that B&B'rs purchase online were for "emerging" or less developed markets, I didn't have any specific reports of what the global market looked like for DE products.

The discription of shavers living in a "hut', using a cup of water rather than running water, with ultra price sensitivity to the point where a blade costing a penny more than other blade would be consequential, brings to light why so many DE products still exist in the market.

It is troubling, however, that Gillette is highly movitated to further shrink the market for it's DE products via the introduction of super low cost disposables that are acceptable for those markets.

I'm still unclear on the market drivers for some of the higher priced DE blades like Polsiver Super Iridiums or Kai's. They are clearly not intended for the U.S. market, so which DE market demands these blades that are perceived as premium products? I get that the high-end expensive Merkur, Feather, EJ, & Muhle razors are marketed for "gentlemen hobbiests" but what about the more costly blades?

 

[YuriZhivago]

This article is somewhat shallow, but provides insight into the development of the Gillette Guard razor in India:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...razor-forgetting-countrys-running-water.html#

Apparently they learned a lesson from their Vector razor experience and actually looked at shaving habits in the country. Many of the article comments focus on DE shaving as the alternative.

 

[Spotlit]

Just out of curiosity, I went poking around to see if some enterprising soul was importing these Guard razors for sale in the US. Turns out one such enterprising soul is WCS!

 

[Ender78]

design a razor and send it to MIT Indian students? Wut? They got running water and all the stuff we Americans enjoy you blathering fools! DE shaving would be a better cheaper alternative for those without running water. I agree with the comments. Perhaps give a mirror per 20 blade pack purchase? Mirrors are very cheap to make.

 

[JerYnkFan]

I use a Guard for head shaving occasionally and as a travel razor. They work very well for me. I can get a boatload of shaves out of them without any irritation or nicks. Plus at 50 cents a cart the price is right as well.

 

[mblakele]

Thanks for posting this interesting article. The reporter could have worked a little more on fact-checking and research, though. The article says "Gillette has sold razors in India for over a decade." Yes, quite a bit longer: Gillette has been in India since at least 1986. The article never mentions Gillette DE sales in India at all, does it? But my guess is that that market share numbers quoted include both DE and cartridge sales: if so it would be interesting to tease those apart.

Apparently Daily Mail readers are not expected to recognize a DE safety razor if one drops from the sky:

Gillette wanted more of the market. To do that, P&G executives would have to attract the nearly 500 million Indians who use double-edged razors, an old fashioned T-shaped razor that has no protective piece of plastic that goes between the blade and the skin when shaving. This razor, which makes skin cuts more likely, costs just a few pennies per blade.

Ah yes, those old-fashioned T-shaped razors. No plastic to protect your skin: such a drawback.

 

[kothavade]

Can you please share the article or he link to the article. Your review made me curious to read the article however, could not get it here. Please help.