When it comes to buying razors, men are generally more concerned with price compared to brand.
In fact, when it comes to really caring about one or the other, people who care about price “a lot” outnumber those who care about brand “a lot” by 75%.
Overall, 40% of men say brand and price are equally important, while 36% choose price and 24% care more about the brand of razor.
Even among men who claim to be “somewhat” to “very” loyal to brands in their overall shopping experience, price matters more than brand when it comes to what razors they purchase.
Clearly, razor companies have a branding problem, and it’s worst among Millennials. Only 19% of men in that generational cohort say brand is most important, and nearly half of them are completely on Team Price.
Income, however, does tilt the scales. Men making over $100,000 are much more likely to say brand matters than those making under $100,000.
Online vs. In-Store Buying Habits
Where someone buys their razors also plays a major role in what matters most to them. Men who buy their razors online – either from Amazon, another retailer, or a specialty razor company – are more concerned about price. Men who buy their razors in stores? Slightly more concerned about brand, and much less worried about price.
Speaking of “where,” here’s a larger breakdown of where men buy their razors …
… and a simplified version of the above, breaking it down by online or in person.
And once again, Millennials are the outlier, with that age group buying their razors online at about a 30% higher clip than all other generations.
Effect of Drugstore Preference
When it comes to drugstore-specific razor buyers, CVS holds a significant lead over Rite Aid and Walgreens.
Interestingly, though, Rite Aid customers are much more likely to be brand-sensitive than CVS or Walgreens shoppers.
When it comes to the types of razors men use, the generational differences really start to open up. Generation X leads the way – by a significant margin – when it comes to use of cartridge razors, Baby Boomers and older are partial to disposables, and both Generation Z and Millennials are leading the straight razor comeback. Additionally, electric razors are most popular with Generation Z.
First, the wide view:
And now, by age:
Lastly, cartridge users are the least sensitive to price. That makes sense, because once the handle to a razor is purchased, it will only fit razors of a particular brand.
Clearly, men are split in regards to what they find important when purchasing razors. Equally as clearly, razor manufacturers have men over a barrel, at least until the 100% hirsute look comes into fashion for the first time since the Neolithic Age. In the meantime, it would certainly appear that if any brand decided to dramatically lower razor costs, that company would quickly gain a larger share of the market.