Dollar Shave Club (DSC) just became a BILLION dollar shave club, thanks to Unilever. The CPG giant, which also claims powerhouse brands Dove, Suave, Degree, and Axe among its many brands, recently made waves by purchasing DSC—that trendy, direct-seller of men’s razors, razor blades, and personal care items—for a cool $1 billion cash, thus rattling an already cutthroat industry.
Dollar Shave Club
On the heels of this news, mobile research firm Field Agent located and surveyed 525 male wet-shavers about their attitudes toward razors, razor blades, and the brands that sell them, with special emphasis on DSC. All respondents submitted photos of their razors to qualify for the survey.
Only 14% of men surveyed said they currently purchase razors and blades from DSC. Compare this figure to conventional brand giants Gillette (66%), Schick (32%), and Bic (22%). Indeed, in the Field Agent survey, even generic, retailer-specific razors and blades (23%) were more prevalent among male wet-shavers than DSC.
Price was the most compelling factor among current Dollar Shave Club customers (n = 75). In all, 77% said they joined (and stay in) the club because “the prices are so much better.” They also like DSC’s subscription model (57%) as well as receiving their razors by mail (47%).
Yet the majority (n = 450) said they don’t buy their razors and blades from DSC. Almost half (46%) admitted, “I don’t know anything/enough about the company,” while 24% responded “I like to be able to see and touch shaving equipment before buying it” and 21% “I’ve always used a particular brand and don’t want to change now.”
Moreover, though not a specific choice option, free form responses made it clear many men simply don’t shave enough to make a DSC subscription worthwhile. As one 27-year-old from Springdale, AR related, “I don’t need a constant barrage of razor blades. Meaning, I don’t shave a ton.”
Additional insights from the study can be found on the Field Agent blog.
