Beard & Blade Shopify Store Review by PageFly

When it comes to male grooming, Dollar Shave Club kickstarted the trend, being bought for a whopping $1 billion by Unilever back in 2016 only four years after being founded. 

At the time, Dollar Shave held 51% of the male grooming market and was largely responsible for the insane surge in online retailers trying to emulate their success with similar offers. 

Now, in 2019, we’re seeing real changes in the way the world views beauty products for men (that’s what they really are). One such brand that’s cashing in on the trend is Beard & Blade, an Australian born company that promises to have you looking less Alaskan grizzly bear, and more well-kept homo sapien. 

They sell a neat range of razors, haircare, fragrances, and even dental care. So I thought it would be worth reviewing their Shopify-hosted store - one of the best out there, to see what we can learn about their design, sales tactics and copy and general content. 

Check it out below. 

Beard & Blade Shopify Store Review by PageFly

Homepage 

On first impression, you might say the homepage looks festive above anything. But the critic in me says otherwise. I’ve never been a fan of grey announcement bars - I find them corporate and cold. 

And a nice hero image wouldn’t go astray here. Instead, we’re met with a red wall. People love to see other people. Showcasing some photography of the products in use is powerful. 

Scroll a little further and you’ll see gift kits. This is obviously a big sales push for Christmas, which is why the offer is above and below the fold. 

However, I can’t help but feel it looks a little chaotic. The products in the bundles look out of place, not totally congruent in color or design. Then you have “15% off” badges and sticky Xmas lights that follow you down the page. It’s all a bit much. 

So how could this homepage be improved?

• Hero images of real people/products
• More uniform, congruent product images to strengthen branding

Product page

The product page is where the magic happens - the sale. 

Once again there’s a lot going on here. Sticky Xmas lights and gift guide, pop-up in the bottom left corner, payment badges, chatbox and of course my beloved double grey announcement bars. Directly below the Call To Action there are expanding accordion elements that give you the actual information about the product when clicked. 

Now, there’s nothing wrong with these elements as they stand. But they could be positioned and designed better for simpler user experience. 

If your product page currently looks like this, here’s what you do:

• Ditch the Christmas lights on the product page. They crowd the content and takeaway from the user experience. A male grooming brand should be clean and minimal, right?
  
  
• Remove Beard & Blade from the product title and give the set a unique, memorable name instead that connects with the audience. Think along the lines of“ The Supreme Gent Safety Razor Kit” or “Apex Man Safety Razor Set”. Get them thinking and remembering.
  
  
• Remove the payment badges. When you tell people to trust you, their first reaction is NOT to. Keep payment badges at the bottom footer if needed.
  
  
• Make the Call To Action POP! Currently, the add to cart button is rocking the same orangey/brown tone as the review stars, price, and chatbox. Make it stand out with a unique color that still ties in with the look and feel of the brand.
  
  
• Display all the important information openly, and keep the accordion element for secondary info. Things like product descriptions and reviews should be laid out in plain sight for people to see. The last thing you want is for your visitor to miss it. Consumers aren’t as smart as you think.

Did you get all that? I’d consider this a high ticket product $199, and definitely think it would convert better as a long-form page with more content and information. Laid out in a clear, concise manner of course. 

Conclusion

Beard & Blade are certainly having some success in their niche. But there would be no point in doing these store reviews if I wasn’t critical of them. 

The branding isn’t quite as strong as it could be, and I can’t help but think they’ve still got some figuring out to do about their direction.

If you need inspiration in the male grooming niche, don’t look any further than Dollar Shave Club. 

They use humor. 

They use unique, original copy. 

And the branding is supreme. 

Now these products look like they belong together. 

All great things take time. No matter what niche you’re in, you should always be looking to your “heroes” in the industry. Brands you want to emulate or that inspire you. 

And take notes.