After an exhausting week, bath time is an
enjoyable moment for me to relax. I use Jasmine shower oil to wash away
tiredness of the week and then use a body scrub to remove my dead skin cell to
make my skin glow. I soak into the hot bath with Bath Foam Delicate Jasmin. I
close my eyes and feel like I am surrounded by Jasmine garden. After the bath,
I put on Jasmine lotion to soften my skin. It gives me a wonderful experience.
All the scent that I mentioned above, no matter the scent of lavender, rose or
even vanilla, can be found in SABON products.
SABON is a brand that sells all kinds of
skin care products. In 1997, the first SABON store opened in Tel Aviv, an
Israel city, and launched soap as its first product. In 2003, they started an
international business and extended their products to different lines, such as
bath scrub, body oil, and lotion. Since then they have opened stores in United
State, Europe, and Asia, and now they have more than 130 physical stores.
“Body Scrub” is one of a SABON’s signature
product. It launches 12 different scents that customers can choose. The most
popular scent in the store is delicate Jasmine. It smells pretty fresh and
natural and you can imagine the wind gently blow through a Jasmine garden.
Also, the package of the body scrub is very delicate. The sky blue dead sea
salt with almond, jojoba and borage oil in a delicate glass container. Lots of
people buying this product for its function. The functional benefits of body
scrub are impurities removal, skin heal, and fragrance. First, it can make you
healthy. Exfoliate twice a week, it can help you remove the dead skin cell and
make your skin shines. Organic facts, a blog talks about healthy information,
claims that sea salt exfoliation effetely helps our skin renew and encourages
blood circulation. Second, sea salt can heal eczema and psoriasis. A research
conveyed by a Dr. Douglas Leavengood shows that children who spend their summer
time in the beach effectively have their skin improved in dryness, itchiness,
and redness. Sea salts have a high volume of minerals, and they are good for
the body to absorb. Third, SABON’s body scrub spread with a sweet smell. They
have different natural scents. As my personal experience, it continuously
smells flowery for an entire day. Even without wearing perfume or putting on a
lotion, I feel like I am standing in front of a flower shop.
Not only for the physical reasons, lots of
customers also buy the SABON’s products for emotional benefits. They feel more
confident. Because taking good cares of the body takes time, people think they
are investing themselves. They care about their skin conditions, so spending
money on the nourishing body can make them feel more attractive. It’s a kind of
lifestyle, being a foodie, buying cloth and enjoy a relaxing massage. It can be
a message that people feel like they are investing themselves. What’s more,
body scrubs have different scents. Customers can choose from the scent that is
most relaxing for them. When I smell the scent spread from the body, I feel
energetic and elegant.
I believe that people who ever walk into
the SABON’s physical store would leave an amazing memory for it. The beautiful
limestone sink catches people’s eyes. It makes you feel like you are in the
ancient Greek palace. All kinds of body scrubs are placed on the sink. The
salesperson patiently and kindly introduces every product that customers are
interested in. They will provide you a whole process of taking good care of
your skin. Start with washing your hand with body gel, exfoliating with a body
scrub and then putting lotion on your hands. Customers compare different
products before use. The sales persons are not just selling the products, they
build a connection with customers. They share the latest information about
beauty and answer every question. The Unique Selling Point of SABON’s body
scrub is dead sea salt. SABON’s products put emphasis on being manufactured in
Israel. Nowadays, lots of company move their factories to China and southeast
Asia to reduce labor cost. Insist on producing in Israel make customers feel
the high quality of their products. What’s more, the statistic shows that dead
sea contains largest volume mineral and salt than other seas. It’s another
unique point to convince customers to buy SABON’s products. Moreover, product
attributes of package and size win extra points for SABON. The weighted glass
container makes SABON’s product more delicate. The wooden scoop makes it more
sensible rather not handling cold, unstylish spoon. The whole experience of
using body scrub is pleasant.
The brand personalities of SABON are
elegant and eco-friendly. I think the most important brand personality is
consistency. You have to provide the same images of your brand. The SABON
stores have high brand recognition. It’s easy to aware the store when walking
in the New York street. The wooden floor, different product of scents are
neatly placed on the wooden shelves, copper faucet and chandelier are the
perfect matches for the brand image. Even on the official website and digital
advertises on Facebook, SABON still uses beige background and decorated graphic
to create a coherent image for their brand. The brand image for me is elegant.
No rush to choose the products that perfect match for your needs and shop in
the classic decoration store make you forget you’re in New York. SABON also try
to convince their customers they are an Eco-Friendly company. On their blog,
there are several posts about a company going green, and how to be
Eco-Friendly. They are not just saying. They take real actions. Customers who
bring an empty SABON’s bottle can receive 10% off of the same product. They Not
only care about the environment but also care about human health. 75%of the
cosmetic products and shampoo contain sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) and Paraben.
These ingredients help products extend shelves life. Some people say that
Paraben causes cancer and interact with hormones that promote cancer cell
division. SABON wants their products that customers use them without worry, so
insist their products do not contain SLS and Paraben.
The pricing of a SABON’s body scrubs is
described as mid-range. A 600g delicate Jasmine is $ 35. The other premium
brand has the similar products that priced over hundred dollars. However, SABON
is not the cheapest option. There are several brands sell body scrub for only
$10. Who is SABON’s target audience? From demographic aspect, most of SABON’s
products target to women. Only less than one tenth of products are for men.
They are reaching the woman for 20-50 years old. They launch different lines of
products, such as the series for mom and baby and anti-aging. There is no
limitation for education background. But in United State, they only have
physical stores in two states. That is to say, people who are not familiar with
online shopping is hard to become their audience. From a psychological aspect,
which I believe is more important for SABON, people who buy SABON products have
extra money to invest themselves. They care about the quality of life. They
share the same value with SABON, which is a green company and insist on
manufacturing in Israel. If they pursue the cheapest exfoliate products, SABON
won’t be their first choice.
People can buy SABON’s products via the
online or physical store. However, it is hard to see any promotion in the
physical stores while online stores have discounts or free gifts most of the
time. That is the reasons why customers never have the in--store experience.
That is hard for them to buy any bath products. The online store is hard to get
a customer so they must provide tempting conditions for first-time buyers.
I would choose quality and price for a
perceptual map. I think SABON is located in low price and high quality. In this
area, LALINE is the most relative competitors to SABON. Their prices are
similar. LALINE shows much difference on their package. They use an
illustration of NYC and joint brand with Mickey Mouse which can attract younger
generations. Brand personalities LALINE are more energetic and youthful. LALINE
targets to women who age about 20-35. LUSH is another competitor for SABON.
First of all, it has way more stores in the United States. It is easier for a
customer to get the in-store experience than SABON. What’s more, LUSH’s brand
recognition is strong. For example, Lush is fighting against animal testing and
claims that it has the freshest cosmetics. LUSH’s target audience is people who
are animal lovers, caring about animal’s right, or even vegetarian because
LUSH’s products are 100% vegetarian. LUSH’s colorful images are different from
SABON’s classic image. If SABON wants to stand out from other brands, it has to
put emphasis on dead sea salt manufactured from Israel. It can make customers
believe that SABON is the company who provide greatest body scrub than others.
