The straight razor is an old fashioned razor used primarily by men. The razor is famously recognized by having a handle in which the blade sections folds back into. Since the acquisition of The Art of Shaving by world famous Procter & Gamble the straight razors have been making a comeback. Currently The Art of Shaving has a primary target market of males between the ages of 35-45. Normally they would be in a managerial or executive position with an income greater than $75,000. They tend to attract those who are very outgoing, authoritative, and fashion forward. The target social class is the upper middle class. Because the straight razor is such an old fashioned style of shaving there are very little substitutes in its niche market. Proctor and Gamble owns 80% of the much larger undifferentiated market with the brand name Gillette. Currently, The Art of Shaving is positioning itself to deliver upscale shaving products at nearly the most expensive prices.
Due to the current marketing strategy and the current primary target group the buyers tend to be very complex, choose the higher end razors, and become infrequent buyers due to the length of time a straight razor lasts. They offer a Royal Shave service from master barbers in order to make recommendations and allow consumers to test their products. The straight razor overall is a much better product when compared to substitutes like the cartridge razor. With the straight razor you tend to get a much higher quality product and greatly reduce razor bumps and burns while allowing the skin to stay smooth and healthy. The Art of shaving also does a very good job of creating a brotherhood around others who choose to go with a good old fashion single blade shaver rather than modern multi blade shavers. The largest competitor in the current market space would be a company by the name of Boker which offers much higher priced