Ecom personal care company 800Razors.com isn’t the biggest name in shaving, but this Baltimore-based brand has managed to sign one of biggest athletes of all-time—Michael Phelps—as an investor and spokesperson.
 
With a presence in his sport that rivals that of other high-profile athlete-cum-shaving spokespersons, one would think Phelps would be more likely to sign on with the biggest brand in the business.
 
But the Baltimore native and most decorated swimmer in history relies on 800Razors’ US-made blades for his full body shave—the standard prep for major swimming competitions. In fact, Phelps used the firm’s Ultimate Shave in preparation for US Nationals in July where he posted the fastest times in the world this year in three individual events.
 
“The Ultimate Shave razors and shave cream truly makes a difference in protecting my skin and giving me that close comfortable shave I want and need in and out of the pool,” Phelps said in a press statement when the alliance was announced.
 
It’s a Baltimore thing for sure, but the accord is about performance too.
 
“Michael Phelps has joined 800Razors.com as a shareholder and spokesperson because he loved 'The Ultimate Shave' he was getting from using our razors,” said president and CEO Phil Masiello.

Road Rage

The path to 800Razors.com began on road trips.
 
“I’m a big traveler, but I’m a bad packer. I would forget my razors,” Masiello told Happi.com in a phone interview.
 
Schlepping to the nearest drug store to spend upwards of $30 on the same razor he left at home was aggravating.
 
So he and a partner (Steven Krane) launched 800Razors.com in 2013.
 
That’s right about the same time as Harry’s, another direct-to-consumer razor competition opened for business. Dollar Shave had launched two years prior.
 
And while those two firms may be getting more attention from investors and the media of late—and there’s the 800lbs gorillas in the category in Gillette, Schick and Energizer—the 800Razors.com executives says his firm is impacting the category by building a product that keeps customers coming back for more.
 
“This is a business of retention. You can sell customer a razor for a buck. Buy they won’t come back again if it doesn’t deliver a great shave,” Masiello said. “We sell a great shave”
 
800Razors.com partners with a venerable US-based razor manufacturer for its five-blade cartridge and razor, which it bundles with shave cream and after shave moisturizing cream in the in the Ultimate Shavekit.
 
 “We have stronger retention,” Masiello told Happi.
 
In fact, the firm says its customer retention rate is greater than 50%. (It defines as customer as retained after he or she makes that third purchase.)
 
Masiello also boasts about 800Razor.com’s high customer satisfaction rating. “On product for product basis, we get a better quality rating,” he said.
 
The company scores at 4.8 out of 5 on independent, online third-party review site Trustpilot.com. (Harry’s and Dollar Shave were not on the site at press time).
 
In addition to keeping its manufacturing in the US, 800Razors.com provides employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities through a fulfillment affiliation with Chimes, a Baltimore-based non-profit that provides a wide variety of services, including vocational training to more than 19,000 people with disabilities throughout the US. Many of the employees participate in Special Olympics, an organization which Phelps serves as a global ambassador and is also supported by the Michael Phelps Foundation.
 
While 800Razors.com isn’t making as many financial headlines as some of its competition, it does have backers. Investors include John Scully (of Apple fame), a former CEO of HJ Heinz and a retired U.S. ambassador.
 
Currently 800Razors.com is expanding its product line. According to Masiello, it is close to rolling out an all-natural pre-shave oil, and other topical shave care products are in the pipeline too.
 
It’s all about answering the needs of a growing customer base.
 
And while Masiello kept the current customer number close to his vest, he shared his firm’s lofty goals.
 
“We intend on having one million customers by the 2016,” he said.