Featured Startup Pitch: ShaveMOB takes the ‘shave club’ concept to the next level by catering to both men and women

By Zach Randall, ShaveMOB co-founder and CEO

Elevator Pitch: For those sick of overpaying for razors, ShaveMOB promises to ‘shave’ up to 70 percent off the cost of a year supply of razors. Customers can order premium, high-quality razors directly from ShaveMOB.com, and a two, six, or 12-month supply will be delivered directly to their door.

Company Overview

The razor industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that has been dominated by large corporations for decades. At ShaveMOB, we appeal to sophisticated shoppers who, on principle, want to pay a fair price for a premium shave, not what large corporations dictate the price to be. Our customers know they can get a high-quality shave for less—and buying razors from ShaveMOB is the answer.

To help individuals #ShaveSmarter, we offer three, four and six-blade razor options. Members can order two, six, or 12-month supplies at once—saving money on shipping and handling costs created by monthly subscription services. Customers receive an email with a simple one-click reorder feature when their supply runs low.

We set ourselves apart from the competition in a number of ways. First, we do not require membership contracts or recurring fees. Customers simply order when they want to replenish their razor supply and don’t have to worry about paying each month if not needed.

Second, we offer razors for men and razors for women—we believe both deserve the closest, smoothest, and most comfortable shave possible.

Third, we offer extremely competitive pricing—it’s $3.33 for a one-month supply of ShaveMOB’s highest-quality razor. The pricing is unmatched in the industry, making it a no-brainer for anyone who shaves. Our customers are the smartest shavers on earth.

Founders’ Story

As the founder of ShaveMOB (along with my business partner, Nick Yorchak), we were sick of overpaying for razors. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a woe-is-me story as we both had the means to buy razors, but we knew we were being price-gouged for a commodity—there was better use for our hard-earned coin.

That’s when we started researching the razor industry and found that leading brands were overcharging—by a lot.

We set out to create ShaveMOB, an online marketplace providing premium razors and saving customers up to 70 percent compared to leading brands. After finding that most alternatives excluded women, we decided ShaveMOB would provide savings for both men and women. Now, the entire family can save when buying premium-quality razors.

Business Model

Hair removal is a $10 billion dollar annual industry in the U.S. Our goal is to capture a significant percentage of this market by inviting smart consumers to join the ‘MOB.’ Our business model contains five critical factors of success: quality products, flexible options, excellent service, shared savings, and viral marketing.

The quality of the product is paramount. We work with a manufacturer of high quality, stainless steel blades to source our razors. As a result, third party customer testing finds that ShaveMOB’s razors are of equal quality to the leading brands based on comfort, closeness, nicking, and irritation.

Second, we know that every consumer is different. In addition to serving men and women, we offer 24 razor configurations while still providing a very simple shopping experience. All of our razor cartridges fit all of the handles, so customers are free to change their minds.

Third, we have partnered with established fulfillment and customer service centers within the United States to provide on-time delivery and excellent customer service. We’re serious about making sure our customers are taken care of from day one.

Fourth, we exist to share cost savings with customers. Every business process is designed to create cost savings that are passed along in prices. This includes leveraging proven sourcing and logistics systems, utilizing cost-effective and eco-friendly packaging, delivering in bulk rather than monthly, and including free shipping and handling.

Last, our value proposition is strong and fun, so viral marketing is all that’s needed to spread the word. Even before launching the live website, we had 25,000 fans sign-up to support the effort without a single dollar spent on traditional marketing.

While the idea of selling razors online isn’t novel, we believe that people will begin to compare and contrast their options and recognize that they can get a premium shave for a whole lot less thanks to ShaveMOB.

Market Opportunity

The number of shavers in the U.S. by gender is roughly 113,000,000 male and 94,000,000 female. Estimates put the entire hair removal industry at roughly $10 billion annually.

According to Global Industry Analysts, Inc., 55-to-60 percent of women in the U.S. are utilizing razors for hair removal, a number that is beginning to slowly grow as brands start to focus more on this demographic. The majority of the razor marketing and product development has historically focused on men. There is a slight shift from large brands to emphasize women’s shaving more, but it is still essentially treated as a secondary market.

We believe women’s razor needs have not been met by online discount razor companies and so-called ‘shave clubs.’ We have worked hard to make our product offering and messaging family-friendly. No sophomoric gimmicks or male-power overtones, just a no-nonsense, comfortable place to buy high-quality men’s and women’s razors at a deep discount.

Current Needs

We are currently looking to grow brand awareness and credibility in the marketplace. We have engaged a PR agency to help us share our story and mission with savvy shoppers who are sick of overpaying for razors too.

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Website: www.shavemob.com