For years, Karen Young assumed the issues she had with shaving—the ingrown hairs, the razor burn, the itching—were exclusive to her. It wasn’t until a spring day in 2014, when she and her friends went to get pedicures, that she realized the solution to her problem rested on one thing: asking other women about their experiences with shaving.
Following a discussion with her girlfriends, it became clear to Karen that she wasn’t alone. And learning that other women had the same experience with shaving made Karen angry.
“I just couldn’t let it go,” she says. “I couldn’t stop thinking that there has to be a way to solve these problems.”
Building a collective "oui"
As a former account executive in the luxury fashion and beauty industry, Karen noticed that luxury shaving brands all seemed to target men. Further product research showed that there are few brands on the market that provide a similar shaving experience for women.
So she co-founded Oui Shave and started selling expertly-crafted safety razors paired with all-natural shaving oils that are gentle on the skin—and named after Sex and the City characters, to boot. But Karen wants to go beyond making shaving a luxury for women—she wants to change the perception they have of it.
“I knew the brand was going to have to be about educating women on the art of a better shave, since safety razors are different from the multi-blade razors most of us are used to,” she says.
That’s exactly what the small, all-women team at Oui Shave have based their marketing strategy on: creating content to inform and entertain their customers. They built their Shopify store around a blog and how-to videos that aim to answer all the questions women might have about shaving. They also use the Mailchimp for Shopify integration and offer a 10% discount to people who sign up through a pop-up form powered by Privy on their website to reach a larger audience and expand their brand.
“We’re focused on bringing women together through our marketing,” Karen says. “Plus, free shipping and the 10% discount at signup have led to a 35% boost in conversions.”
Spreading knowledge to customers
When Karen started Oui Shave, she knew she wanted to send few—if any—sales emails. As a consumer, she says her inbox is always flooded with sales and promotions she never bothers to open. To get subscribers to open and click campaigns, Karen sends content she thinks they’ll find useful: blog posts and skincare tips, for example.
