Shared consumer insights
Available until 20 Sep 2024
Post Launch Consumer Review
Brushd Toothpaste Tablets
Understand what’s working and not working from awareness to purchase to use of the product
10 UK respondents - Non-rejectors of toothpaste tablets and Brushd, who are regular Boots shoppers and are actively trying to be more sustainable through their purchase decisions. All respondents to buy Brushd toothpaste tablets and use them regularly throughout the week
Summary
A truly appealing & disruptive concept that at its peril, has overlooked the basics in its execution
- Overall people were very open to trying Toothpaste Tablets & realistically expected a vastly different experience to toothpaste
- Even the absence of a foaming experience whilst brushing your teeth was acceptable for most!
- However the salty, paracetamol-like, ghastly sensory experience was an absolute deal breaker for everyone in the end
- An invigorating, minty fresh experience is simply a non negotiable when it comes to toothpaste
- Even after a usage experience that induced a universal face contorting response, most people did feel that their teeth were clean. But none were prepared to pay such a premium price for a product experience you would dread daily……not even the allure of sustainable packaging made that palatable
- Apart from these self-imposed headwinds, people really wanted to rally behind this concept & could immediately see a hugely appealing, valuable opportunity: A Travellers Dream Product*
- A sustainable, portable, small & light, mess free toothpaste alternative could certainly charge a price premium in the travel market
- It would also be a fabulous opportunity to drive trial & generate word of mouth as a trusted, intelligent, traveller’s hack (*Once it tastes better!)
Promotion
Telling the consumer about the product
Improved messaging & increased communication across all touchpoints is a must given how disruptive this product is
- There is no clear communication in store that gives people an idea of what type of experience to expect, nor any indication on the benefits that Brushd provides over conventional toothpastes
- Much more communication is required for people to even be aware that the product exists:
- Social media does appear to be having some cut thru
- There is no communication follow through when it comes to the in store experience
Suggested improvements
- Increase the reach of social media impressions, engagement with trusted influencers & help facilitate word of mouth
- Prioritise functional messaging that promises an invigorating ‘Minty Fresh’ experience whilst also delivering an exceptional clean feeling & healthy teeth
- Eye catching in store communication is needed to help overcome the challenges of the small, plain packaging, particularly in larger store environments
Place
The touchpoints where the consumer interacts with the product
The worst kind of trifecta - a new, disruptive product, recessive packaging & bottom shelf placement
- Ranging in the toothpaste section as opposed to other dental hygiene products was where people expected to find Brushd
- However, even when people were on a mission to specifically find this product, they struggled immensely
- The current placement of Brushd on the bottom shelf will in no way facilitate impulse purchases
- Due to the poor placement, limited facings & high price point, Brushd felt overwhelmed by the scale of a Boots store
- Having only 1 facing of each SKU doesn’t create enough of a brand block to overcome the significantly smaller pack footprint compared to the rest of the toothpaste category
- Out of stocks were mentioned by a few, resulting in the need to travel to multiple Boots to find Brushd stocked & once there often purchased the last remaining jar
Suggested improvements
- If Brushd wanted to remain in larger format, mainstream channels, Shelf Talkers/signage & off location displays will be critical in combating its poor packaging visibility
- Communicating flavour & added benefits such as ‘Whitening’ or ‘Sensitivity’ at shelf will go a long way in enticing impulse purchase.
- Due to the comparatively high price point, Brushd would probably be more attractive to people shopping in higher end, boutique health & wellness channels.
- Toothbrush tablets as a product would be extremely appealing for people looking for travel essentials.
- An opportunity exists to drive trial & build advocacy for Brushd in channels that service the travel industry.
Price
What the consumer pays - the regular and promoted price
At face value, Brushd feels like poor value. The significant price premium is only exacerbated by being ranged in a mainstream store
- For most people when assessing value for money, they came to the assumption that a jar of tablets would last about as long as a tube of toothpaste did
- With this value equation in mind, Brushd was at best twice as expensive as a normal tube of Colgate or at worst 4 - 5 times more expensive if there was a promotion special running
- Given there was no obvious mention of added dental benefits, people felt it was appropriate to compare the price with ‘regular’ toothpastes
- The higher price point greatly increased people’s overall usage experience & efficacy expectations
- Although people could see the sustainability advantages, £5 was far too high a price point for anyone to consider trial or repeat purchasing
- This was also driven by the fact that there was not an overwhelming tension in people’s minds when it came to the environmental impact of toothpaste tubes
- Whereas people were much more aware of the environmental impacts of plastic toothbrushes
Suggested improvements
- If there are inherent added benefits to this product, they need to be communicated better both on pack & at shelf to lessen the price sticker shock
- Creating smaller formats for the travel channel could create a more competitive price point that allows for convenience to factor into the value equation
- If Brushd wants to remain in more mainstream channels & for everyday occasions then there needs to be some reduction in price to bring it closer to the existing category value perception
Pack
The product’s appearance
A classy looking pack that fails to excite or inform
- Overall, the packaging felt smart, premium & classy, a definite departure from existing bold toothpaste designs.
- However, there were some distinct limitations in the packaging:
- The lack of bright colours (or even just a pop of colour) not only made it dreadfully recessive on shelf, but it also failed to elicit a sense of excitement as it felt bland & at its worst medical.
- Due to a lack of distinctive branding, it could be perceived as being a generic, cheap private label offering, at odds with the premium price
- Although the small jar size made it difficult to find in store, Brushd jars were considered a far superior format to a tube when at home, in the bathroom.
- Given the jar was only a third full of tablets, the perceived wasted packaging ran counter intuitive to the sustainability positioning
- When in situ, people would have appreciated an even smaller jar
- People generally understood that added fluoride was a good thing, but this claim didn’t feel as motivating as benefits such as whitening, enamel or cavity protection
- People easily understood & correctly followed the usage instructions on the front of the pack when they were at home
Suggested improvements
- Dialling up some pops of colour & key brand assets in the packaging to ensure Brushd is more eye-catching is a must.
- Need to rethink the communication hierarchy on pack.
- The pack design needs to communicate important category cues such as flavour, added dental benefits & that it is an Eco Friendly alternative
- The usage instructions really don’t need to be on the front of pack
- Critically, in store people were looking for the front of pack design to convey flavour & efficacy cues
- An even smaller jar containing 1-2 weeks’ worth of tablets, as opposed to 1 month’s supply would be motivating for those interested in trying the product for the first time
- This is a perfect size to drive trial at a lower price point
Product
How well the product performs against the expectations
So much potential & appetite for this product it just needs to lean into some sacred category expectations
- This product did appear to practically work for people, their teeth really did feel clean afterwards
- It can’t be understated how disappointing & visceral the poor flavour experience of this product was.
- For many people the absence of a creamy foam was acceptable but the absence of an invigorating minty fresh flavour was not
- Particularly for families, toothpaste is a democratic product that the whole household use
- The main expectation to this is if an individual has specific dental hygiene needs such as sensitivity, ulcers or whitening
- The current flavour of Brushd tablets doesn’t make it an appealing option for families
Suggested improvements
- Resolving the salty, unpleasant taste of the current tablets is an absolute must
- All other are null & void without this intervention, particularly if Brushd wants to appeal to mainstream consumers
Proposition
What the product stands for, its values, benefits and reasons to believe
Brushd needs to play more to its strengths, whilst also delivering on the basics
- People were genuinely content with their existing toothpaste experiences & there was much love & trust for their current repertoire of brands
- However this didn’t dampen their enthusiasm to try a completely different experience.
- Existing category experiences though did in principle set the expectations on what a minimum, viable experience should be.
- Brushd has created many headwinds for this product
- Premium price
- Poor in store ranging & visibility
- Limited explanation on the dental hygiene benefits
- Sub par sensory experience
- Upon reflection people could see the waste toothpaste tubes created. Both in terms of wasting toothpaste & the plastic tube packaging itself.
- However, in the grand scheme of things, this waste didn’t feel like a big enough issue to endure a sub par experience & pay a premium to mitigate
- Portability of toothpaste is a genuine tension for people, Brushd is in a distinctly advantageous position to exploit this underbelly of the toothpaste category
- This tension is acutely felt in out of home occasions when people want to brush their teeth, be that perhaps at the office, post lunch or most notably whilst travelling
Suggested improvements
- Initially targeting out of home, travelling occasions would be a simple, compelling recruitment opportunity, driving both awareness & trial of tablets.
- These are the moments when the convenience of tablets could really outperform pastes.
- Leverage sustainable packaging credentials even further by exploring smaller jars & biodegradable refill pouches.
- For this to be successful, communication should highlight the compound effect of:
- Impact of toothpaste tubes thrown away every year.
- Amount of value people are wasting each year due to leftover toothpaste stuck in tubes.
Purchase Intent
Likelihood to purchase in the future
Without improvements, the likelihood of repeat purchases are slim to none
- As Brushd presents today there are just too many barriers for people to overcome when considering a repeat purchase
- Most notably is the flavour experience, which in the context of a premium price point only compounds the issue
- The sustainability credentials were simply not compelling enough to motivate people to repeat the experience
- The issue of sustainability is not really front of mind as a significant tension people are actively looking to solve in the toothpaste category.
- The ratio of jar size to the number of tablets it holds feels at odds. As a result the perception of excess packaging somewhat negates the sustainability positioning.
- Although the jars were understood to be recyclable it wasn’t motivating enough to overcome the other perceived shortfalls
Suggested improvements
- Basic barriers for the product need to be addressed, most notably ensuring a minty fresh flavour experience
- If Brushd wants to continue to appeal to mainstream shoppers & be habitually used then there needs to be a review of the current RRP. An ideal sweetspot sitting somewhere between £3-4
- Consider ways of rewarding repeat purchase & help facilitate consumer advocacy, ultimately driving word of mouth
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Call Fran Benoist on +44 (0)7985 359309 for an informal chat or email them at fran@watchmethink.com
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