SABON

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.