This article was originally published in the Male Grooming Trend Report. Receive your copy here
Male grooming has always been a tough market for brands to crack.
Persuading men to try new products, switch to different brands and to spend money on the category takes more investment and education from brands than it does to engage women in beauty and skin care, say industry experts.
But there is one strategy that men’s brands are increasingly adopting to address these challenges.
Bundles, kits and sets have proven to be a tried-and-tested way of attracting gift-seeking customers for years, particularly during key seasonal and holiday periods such as Christmas and Father’s Day.
But men’s grooming brands have grown savvy to the benefits of bringing kits into their year-round offer, and are reaping rewards as a result.
Whether it’s The Routine Revolution from Shakeup Cosmetics, Rock Face’s Ultimate Scent Kit or Lumin’s Badass Bundle – all of which have five-star customer reviews – sets are not only incredibly popular with customers, they are often among the best selling SKUs in a brand’s line-up.
For Rock Face, which prides itself on its fragrance-focused range of deodorant, shower and skin care products, bundles or ‘scent kits’ as it calls them, are integral to its D2C strategy.
“In the past, bundles were mostly bought as gifts, but now they’ve become a go-to for men who want an easy, all-in-one way to take care of themselves year-round,” says Brand and Innovation Director James Langdon.
Bestselling bundles
Rock Face says that its 'scent kits' are integral to its D2C strategy
“Bundles and gift sets were our bestsellers on our website last year, showing just how much demand there is for this all-in-one approach.
More people are looking for choice, variety, and a hassle-free way to keep their skin care essentials in one place.
Our bundle strategy reflects this shift, giving customers the chance to explore and commit to their favourite scents or skin care products with ease.”
The brand offers a Discovery Kit to try new fragranced products, while its Ultimate Scent Kit is designed to create a fuss-free routine.
Indeed, bundles are a way for brands to recruit consumers into trialling their products and experimenting with different products that they have not previously used.
Langdon says: “Surprisingly only 10% of men in the UK use a moisturiser, so there’s plenty of room to change the game.”
Nivea Men's Soothe Kit features a range of products from the brand's popular Sensitive range
For Nivea Men, kits are a core element for the brand, offering a wide range such as Deep Clean & Comfort Kit, featuring the brand’s range of deep cleansing and shaving products and Active Clean Body Wash, and Soothe Kit with a collection of products from its sensitive range.
Kits also perform strongly for toiletries brand Baylis & Harding. Offering a range under its sub-brand The Fuzzy Duck, recent kits include 7 Day Essentials, a fragrance-led collection of body wash products, shampoo, face wash and aftershave balm with a bergamot, hemp and sandalwood scent.
Bundles are an effective strategy for US men’s grooming player Cremo too, with the brand predominantly using them as a trial vehicle.
“They are a great way of introducing customers to the brand for a reasonable cost compared to buying the products individually,” says Marketing Director Justin Bullock.
“There is a demystification element of the category too for the consumer – they might look at the website with 50 different products and 40 different scents, and think it’s a little overwhelming.
“So these bundles make it really easy for him.
“The Cooling Shave Regime Bundle, for example, shows him exactly what products he needs for his shave, instead of looking and having to guess.”
Surprisingly only 10% of men in the UK use a moisturiser, so there's plenty of room to change the game – James Langdon, Brand and Innovation Director, Rock Face
Jake Xu, co-founder of men’s skin care brand Shakeup Cosmetics, agrees that this is one of the reasons why bundles work so well in the male grooming category.
The brand’s four-step kit The Routine Revolution includes a cleanser, toner, serum and moisturiser that comes with a wash bag, so that everything is in one place.
“On the back of pack, there’s a traffic light system that explains when to use what, and that information makes it a lot easier for guys, and also less scary and daunting for anyone to adopt a skin care routine,” says Xu.
Introducing routines
Johanna Augustin, beauty brand expert and CEO of Swedish creative agency Pond Design agrees that regime-focused kits can be particularly helpful in educating and creating familiarity with the category among male consumers.
“Rituals and routines can serve as guidance for an audience that, unfortunately, still has limited knowledge of grooming and beauty.
“Men are less likely to discuss skin care and personal care products within their social circles, which contributes to a general lack of awareness.
“Designing products for specific moments in the day can help make the category more accessible – especially for those who don’t have anyone in their network to turn to for advice.”
Shakeup's The Timeless Man kit includes Face 4Ward Pro-Yuoth Serum and Age Def-Eye Instant Lifting Eye Cream
The rise of routine-led GRWM social content gives further context to the opportunities for brands here.
Suzanne Scott, Global Associate Beauty Director, SEEN Group notes that in recent years, men’s wellness trends have been influenced by optimisation, and often this manifests as a routine, whether it’s a skin care routine, a diet, or workout routine.
“We believe this move towards optimisation is largely driven by the rise of biohacking and, on the back of that, male-focused self-improvement podcasts, and routine led social content.
“Optimisation or biohacking essentially helps the consumer feel like they have greater control over their lives for greater performance, and this is something that resonates with men and boys at the moment,” says Scott.
“This is the larger story but how this filters down into skin care is via the routine. You might not be able to follow an expensive biohacking routine, but you can follow a multi-step skin care routine for better skin.”
There may be more scope to position kits for the morning routine, night-time routine or post-gym, nevertheless brands should keep in mind that while GRWMs like ‘what I pack for the gym’ are increasingly popular with male audiences, crucially they don’t centre on just one category, like skin care, says Scott.
“It’s more lifestyle in tone reflecting how brands fit into their routine.”
Collaborations are another strategy that more brands could use to add aspirational lifestyle appeal. Pharrell Williams’ self care brand Humanrace brought back its Dover Street Market Routine Pack in February after its first limited edition collaboration with the high fashion and streetwear retailer sold out last summer.
A winning strategy
However underlying the rise in bundles and kits across the segment is a clear commercial reason. Both Bullock and Xu observe that the cost per acquisition to recruit men into the category generally tends to be higher than for women, and Xu says: “Because the upfront cost is so high, you obviously want to get the average order value up in order to achieve first purchase profitability, or as close to first purchase profitability as possible.
“So I’m seeing more mass brands now offering sets, especially those brands that cost less than £10 for a single SKU.
“When they advertise on social, they are pushing their sets more often than their single SKUs.”
Xu says that for brands that get the set or bundle offering right, it tends to be a win-win for both the brand and the customer.
“Brands have just got to nail down the aesthetic and the efficacy of the gift set itself, and who they’re targeting with it.
“But it’s a strategy that definitely has legs in this market.”
There is willingness among players to explore this approach further in the future too.
Langdon says: “As we continue to grow, we’ll keep refining and expanding our bundle strategy to offer even more convenience, choice, and unbeatable value.”
