Analyzing The Wet Shaving Market In 2019

Back on track...have you guys looked at sales rankings on Amazon and compared to what you see here and on other forums?


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Do you mean like numbers of stars in reviews of products?

Not just that, but look at the top 100. Who's there, who's not, and the number of reviews of some of those products.
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Heal...3271111011

Thats interesting - I'm not sure that the buyers that contribute to the rankings through their purchases are necessarily the most informed buyers.  Probably lots of first time buyers or buying as a gift who knows.  I've not tried most of those brands in the top 100 so I guess I can't make an informed opinion but I'd certainly place Black Tie higher than #74.
Its interesting how Amazon's search engine works because if I plug "men's shaving soap" or just "shaving soap" into the search box I get a limited number of hits whereas if I plug "black Tie" or "Barrister and Mann" or "Wholly Kaw" into the search those brands show up when they didn't show up under "shaving soap". Grooming Dept is even on Amazon.  Not that helpful for me in Canada because most of those soaps don't Amazon ship to Canada and aren't on amazon.ca.   I think we're seeing a variation of the "Beta-Max effect" on Amazon where sheer numbers and exposure drive inferior products to push out superior ones.  You see ProRaso everywhere and its a decent shave cream but in no way is Proraso a top tier shaving product.  In my opinion

BTW, after Jan 1, that not available on Amazon Canada thing is going to change in regards to at least some of our product line. We're already approved. Just need to put some other things in place.
Yes, the "best" products are not necessarily the best sellers.

BTW, after Jan 1, that not available on Amazon Canada thing is going to change in regards to at least some of our product line. We're already approved. Just need to put some other things in place.
Yes, the "best" products are not necessarily the best sellers.

That's good news.

It would be interesting to see raw data.  How many sales gets you a #1 bestseller ranking.

...Yes, the "best" products are not necessarily the best sellers.

A lot like life that is. 

...Yes, the "best" products are not necessarily the best sellers.

A lot like life that is. 

And vice versa as well!

Most of the world seems willing to settle for mediocrity in everything - coffee, cooking, relationships, even shaving.  The first step towards excellence (in anything) is giving a damn enough to take the time and the care and the attention to detail to produce, develop or find the best whatever it is you're looking for.  There are going to be trade offs but if they're your choices then that's ok.  Its a fact that excellence requires obsession - if you go to an excellent restaurant and went into the kitchen you would not find a relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  The chef and his staff will be obsessed with the quality of the food and it will be a high stress environment.  Its not the same at McDonalds.

...Yes, the "best" products are not necessarily the best sellers.

A lot like life that is. 

And vice versa as well!

Most of the world seems willing to settle for mediocrity in everything - coffee, cooking, relationships, even shaving.  The first step towards excellence (in anything) is giving a damn enough to take the time and the care and the attention to detail to produce, develop or find the best whatever it is you're looking for.  There are going to be trade offs but if they're your choices then that's ok.  Its a fact that excellence requires obsession - if you go to an excellent restaurant and went into the kitchen you would not find a relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  The chef and his staff will be obsessed with the quality of the food and it will be a high stress environment.  Its not the same at McDonalds.

I share your views about "most of the world seems willing to settle for mediocrity in everything". Just saying it differently - most of the products that we use in our daily lives have not seen innovation in decades. Mundane stuff like toothpaste, mouthwash, supplements are lagging behind science and the advances that have come from pharma to nutrition and cosmetics sector.  For example, most of the mouthwash sold in the US is made by one manufacturer - same formulation, different name, different packaging, different sizes, different prices.  There is no incentive to innovate due to market domination and the customer is left unaware. 

It applied to shaving too till the artisan market exploded. Shavers were content with mediocre products like a melt and pour or lacked variety. Shavers at that time were not aware that they are getting sub optimal performance from the products. That world changed after the  artisan products came along.  Food for thought!!

Its a logical and (in some cases) desired outcome of capitalism - start with a product and establish the market then drive down costs (and quality too usually), as long as you don't cross the line where the product is no longer bought in sufficient numbers.  If you do it gradually enough the customers don't realize it.  Like boiling a lobster.  The point isn't to make the best product at an affordable price but to make profit.  Don't get me wrong, capitalism may have its faults but its infinitely better than the alternative.  Under socialism there would be one, foul mouthwash but you couldn't buy it due to chronic shortages caused by corruption.  At least under capitalism there is competition and customers can choose.  Its funny because it never even occurred to me that there could be a better way to get a better shave until one day 6 or 7 years ago walking through a farmers market I noticed a little travel kit at a knife kiosk.  It was eShave and it had a little badger brush and some lavender shave cream and balm.  I was intrigued so I bought it.  I've always liked vintage stuff and doing things the old way because I think that its not just about the destination but also and maybe more importantly, the journey.  The process of doing something is as important or more important than the ultimate result.  The destination is a brief moment in time while the journey/process takes time and patience, skill, love attention to detail - the result is gone in an instant like tears in rain (I've wanted to use that line for a while  ).  So if you come to enjoy the process of shaving more than the state of being shaved, wet shaving is for you.  

The whole artisan movement in many things including wet shaving is an indication of the joy that people get from the journey.  There are players in the market that fall along the spectrum from pure economic capitalism to those that want to make the best products they can because they enjoy doing it.  For some its a hobby, passionate in many cases while others treat it as a side hustle and others are trying to build profitable businesses that may one day have national or international scope.  I'd argue that even the small hobbyists have international scope today thanks to the internet.  I have no idea if its genetic that some people are willing to take the time effort and risk to have a better experience while others are satisfied with a quick and easy mediocre experience, but that is what will establish the limits of growth in wet shaving markets.

Mass production (thank you Eli Whitney, Samuel Colt & Henry Ford) made our modern World. Just remember artisan stuff is only great...........when you can afford it. Mass produced arms conquer nations, not Fabergé eggs. 

Theres no doubt that assembly line, mass production, growth strategies are important but there will always be room for independent artisanal produced products and services.  Do you want all of your meals served by McDonalds?  While it might kill you in the long run its much more efficient and profitable than independent restaurants or even home made in some cases.  I'm just using them as an example - you know that when they're planning their menu offerings they aren't trying to give you the best possible casual burger dining experience but rather seeking that point where they can drive down costs to maximize profitability right to the point where if they made it any cheaper/lower quality people wouldn't eat it.  They're not evil, if excellence could be delivered as cheaply as mediocrity I'm pretty sure they'd give the customers excellence.  Profit is important to remain in business and there is competition that is always driving to lower costs and drive up profits.  Thats why its so hard to find really good pizza these days - 2 for 1?  How do you compete with that?  Apparently customers want more crappy pizza rather than less quality pizza.  

So in wet shaving you have people like us who are willing to pay a little extra (yes, we all used the lure of cheaper shaving at the start) for a superior shaving experience.  Does that mean that the rest of the world is happy with the mainstream carts/cans experience ?  Maybe, but of that vast number there are probably a significant number that don't know about the alternatives or for some reason or other haven't considered it but would try it in the right circumstances.  Stuff showing up on Amazon, how to videos on Youtube and even articles in GQ or Mens' Grooming can all reach potential wet shavers.  High end, budget conscious or somewhere in between there is something for everyone if first they learn about it and second, they're willing to try it.  

I think the biggest challenge is the razor - all this YMMV stuff and blade samplers to find the Zen of razor and blade and your face can be seen as a big hassle.  Then there's the fact that a DE safety razor can draw blood more easily than a multi cart.  The cart might cause more irritation but the irritation is generally experienced later while a nick or a weeper is right there bleeding on your face.  Its therefore important that a guy gets off on the right foot with a really good novice razor like (in my case) the EJ DE-89 type of razor head.  Yes there are guys who started out with the most aggressive razor on the planet but if you're looking to win over new wet shavers you have to accept that for most guys the prospect of dragging a fully exposed razor blade over their face is a little daunting and they won't do it.  You wouldn't put a learning driver in a F1 car so for the same reason I wouldn't give a beginner shaver an iKon Tech to start out with.  Honestly, I wouldn't give anybody an iKon tech unless I wanted them to become confirmed beard wearers.

Thats why I think that software is the gateway drug of wet shaving.  A guy can experiment with some nice soaps/creams and post shave with a relatively low investment in a brush and lather bowl/mug and can do that for a while before getting a razor which he can then use once or twice a week alternating with the cart - or even stick to the cart while going all in on soaps and brushes.  Maybe they evolve to safety razors or maybe not.

If restaurants were as unregulated as the artisan soap market, I might well eat all my meals at McDonalds.  (Not for long however; just until my arteries got clogged. )  Seriously, though, I do wonder what waits for us after 20 or 30 years of shaving with artisan goods.  Our current situation vis-à-vis soap artisans reminds me of someone on the Titanic saying "Nah.  This ship can never sink."

Also, I am not convinced that artisan products are better quality than mass produced items, or that mass producers gravitate to lowest costs regardless of quality.  Trademarks are protected by law to create market environments in which quality, reliability, and in-stock availability - all things of value - can be rewarded by commanding higher prices.  (Patents too are protected to reward innovators who create value, all though patents related to current shaving products are, at best, less in obviously in evidence.)

Mass producers not only innovate, they deliver what people want, including quality when that is what people want.  For example, MWF works fine for me, and I just had an outstanding shave with Proraso Red.  But getting back to the food metaphor, in our town of roughly 100,000, we have - besides McDs - a range of restaurant chains offering a variety of dining experiences at various price points.  In fact as I write this, Omaha Steaks is running (or I should say "RErunning for the umpteenth time") their commercial for 20 main course servings including four filet mignons, and blah, blah, blah.  

Granted, I like the occasional unique "mom-and-pop" restaurant experience, but that is something where I can physically walk into the building, smell the smells, inspect the bathroom, and probably know neighbors who have eaten there.  It is also something that may not be a "quality" or higher priced meal versus a fun meal.  As for soap artisans, they create something different for us, in some cases, amounting to the "soap of the month".  It's great if you like the current month's soap and too bad if you don't but either way, it won't be back anytime soon, if ever.  Some enjoy that business model; I do not, on top of which, the long-term safety issue is always in the back of my mind.