Knowledge if Big Cos Will Engage Wet Shavers?

[Col Finley]

Does anyone have insight if any of the bigger companies will engage the growing wet shave community? Esp the guys that run this great forum and have the stats in hand...have seen a lot of info from mainstream media on the growing wet shaving community lately. I know it is simple math...profit margins, etc but seems to me that a little rebranding would help bring folks into a larger range of products.

 

[PugslyCat]

I can't imagine it happening. The mega corporations are more interested in getting a few billion consumers in South America, Russia, India & China to give up their DE blades in favor of carts and disposables. That's the stated intent of one manufacturer that introduced a disposable razor in India recently. It's intended to wean consumers off of straights and DEs and get them hooked on the same stuff western consumers have been buying for 40 years.

Art of Shaving is owned by Proctor & Gamble. That's probably the only nod the shaving hobbyist is going to get from the big companies. The bulk of men just shave as a daily or weekly chore and aren't as into it as the typical B&B member.

Truth be told, my guess is that the majority of DE shavers are guys were already shaving when disposable cartridges and razors were introduced but couldn't be bothered to switch just for the sake of being trendy. A few probably get a puck of Williams or VDH at the grocery store on an as needed basis, but most probably use a can of Barbasol, Colgate, or Gillette foam. Maybe they use one of the drug store aftershaves, but certainly none of that fancy imported stuff.

 

[stuy119]

I hope not, because then it will become more expensive. I was told I would save money by switching, but that doesn't (obviously) take into account my soap/cream AD. All in all, however, it's markedly less expensive than shaving with a cartridge and companies are in business to make money.

So, no, they won't get into it (at least not more than P&G is right now.

 

[Threeme2189]

As stated above, the big manufacturers want to get us to shave with their disposable products, and charge big $$$ for them.
If you buy one product that isn't disposable (Brush, Mug/Scuttle/Bowl, DE Razor etc') and the replaceable stuff is cheap the big corporations won't make money.
On the other hand, if you buy canned goop and carts, which cost a lot and don't last as long, those same companies will have a bigger revenue.

The other thing is so called "innovation", which in the shaving industry has stopped being innovative long ago. And started being "trendy", "technologically advanced" and is aimed at getting the consumers to buy the latest-and-greatest gizmo that costs less to manufacture and more to buy.

An Omega/Tweezerman brush, an indestructible D/E razor, pack of blades an a puck of williams cost a lot less than a Gillette Fusion, pack of carts and a can of Edge Gel and will last much longer.

Just my $0.02

 

[TheVez2]

We are definitely too small of a population for them to worry about. This is the largest online community of wet shavers and we are approaching 50,000 members. Even if all those members were still active, that is still too small of a number for Gillette to care about. Even considering there are many old time wet shavers who aren't online, and the fact that the pupularity of DEs is increasing, it is way low on their radar. If you contact Gillette and inquire about the possibility of producing a DE or even making blades in the US, they will tell you that they will forward your question to the appropriate department, then they will offer you a coupon for a free Sensor razor. I know, that's what they did to me.

 

[Bejaar]

Also, if you've been into an AOS, they are pushing the Mach 3 accessories, although they still cater to the DE community. The sales force (at least those I've interacted with) are extremely knowledge on the Gillette product, but if you ask them for knot and loft dimensions, blade options, difference between a progress and a futur, and etc.. they draw a blank. Big indicator to me, that their only interest in AOS is to infiltrate the DE market before it gets to big for them to "deal" with (if you know what I mean). Only my humble opinion, though. To each his own.

I can't imagine it happening. The mega corporations are more interested in getting a few billion consumers in South America, Russia, India & China to give up their DE blades in favor of carts and disposables. That's the stated intent of one manufacturer that introduced a disposable razor in India recently. It's intended to wean consumers off of straights and DEs and get them hooked on the same stuff western consumers have been buying for 40 years.

Art of Shaving is owned by Proctor & Gamble. That's probably the only nod the shaving hobbyist is going to get from the big companies. The bulk of men just shave as a daily or weekly chore and aren't as into it as the typical B&B member.

Truth be told, my guess is that the majority of DE shavers are guys were already shaving when disposable cartridges and razors were introduced but couldn't be bothered to switch just for the sake of being trendy. A few probably get a puck of Williams or VDH at the grocery store on an as needed basis, but most probably use a can of Barbasol, Colgate, or Gillette foam. Maybe they use one of the drug store aftershaves, but certainly none of that fancy imported stuff.

 

[ouch]

Does anyone have insight if any of the bigger companies will engage the growing wet shave community? Esp the guys that run this great forum and have the stats in hand.

Some of them were planning on rolling out a multi-billion dollar advertising campaign targeting the wet shaving community, but after meeting me in person, they decided that perhaps it wasn't such a good idea.

Sorry!