Procter & Gamble has launched an online subscription service for its Tide detergent, which is currently only available in Atlanta.
Surprised by Dollar Shave Club’s success
It has also launched Tide Spin in Chicago, a smartphone app for consumers who want their laundry picked up and washed. To that end, Procter & Gamble collaborates with other companies and obviously, it uses Tide to clean the laundry.
P&G is forced to launch such pilot programs because the Dollar Shave Club, which ships razor blades to its subscribers, stole quite a considerable piece of market share: in 2010, P&G had a 71 % market share in the razor blade industry, but that had dwindled to 59 % by the end of 2015. To make matters worse, its major competitor, Unilever, has just acquired Dollar Shave Club.
That is why the company is now trying to reach the consumer directly with the launch of the Tide Wash Club. P&G has never done that before, but it may now also gain valuable information about the consumer’s needs and desires.
