ToothbrushSubscriptions.com - 1.5 years in.

[whiteeclipse]

Looking at the toothbrushes, they look cheap. I would suggest looking for Oral-b style brushes on alibaba. Good luck with your company.

Also what Jake said, "the market offers soft, med, and hard bristles" and your service does not offer this.

 

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[mememan]

LOL, are we still talking about this? Toothbrush subscription = bad business. Amazon even beats Sam's Club prices.

Anyway, I'm just trolling. Carry on

 

[whiteeclipse]

I feel this business model has potential because most of us don't replace our toothbrushes as recommended and none of us keep track of the date/month when we bought our last toothbrush. I just think this business needs better products (like oral-b style brushes) and more options like soft, medium and so on.

 

[MikeAU]

Have you considered adding electric toothbrush heads? Groupon occasionally has these and they always sell thousands.

 

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[HarryR]

Have you considered adding electric toothbrush heads? Groupon occasionally has these and they always sell thousands.

you could potentially do this as an upsell path for all subscribers. Imagine someone subscribes for toothbrush, they check out, and on the next page it tells them you can get new heads for your electric toothbrush for the same price,and here's the electric toothbrush that will get your teeth 400% cleaner and give you the pearly white smile you've always dreamed of.

 

[RoadTrip]

Have you considered adding electric toothbrush heads? Groupon occasionally has these and they always sell thousands.

I definitely like this one. Since you are advocating the best way to brush teeth, I believe it should also include electric toothbrush heads.

Love you idea btw, it's always hard to determine the state of your toothbrush and to remember when you've bought it.

Good luck!

 

[dochustle]

Love the feedback everyone, thank you.

A lot of you have hit on the point of electric heads and you nailed it. We're working on it. Who here uses an electric toothbrush? What are the problems or inconveniences you experience while buying new heads?

 

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[HarryR]

Love the feedback everyone, thank you.

A lot of you have hit on the point of electric heads and you nailed it. We're working on it. Who here uses an electric toothbrush? What are the problems or inconveniences you experience while buying new heads?

I don't use it anymore, because I travel a lot. If you had really good, travel friendly, electric toothbrushes that would be awesome. My main problem with electric toothbrush heads as they were expensive. I don't know how much they cost now that I think we used to pay $10 for three.

 

[CommonCents]

the idea of branding/promoting through dentists is a good idea. Let them be your sales force.

 

[RoadTrip]

I use both, normal in the morning, electrical in the evening. I think the problem with the electrical toothbrushes is that you really don't know exactly when to change them. I believe you can check the colors of the hairs, but never know when exactly a change is needed.

I am also buying a cheap brand so I am never certain whether that's a good choice or not. If you are going to sell electrical brushes, make sure you brand it in such a way that your buyers will know they are buying a good brand, while getting the best deal for their money.

 

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[MikeAU]

Love the feedback everyone, thank you.

A lot of you have hit on the point of electric heads and you nailed it. We're working on it. Who here uses an electric toothbrush? What are the problems or inconveniences you experience while buying new heads?

For me buying from the shop here in Australia is pretty expensive, around $10-$15 for 2. I also bought some cheaper non branded ones and they were pretty bad and didn't last long.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DeletedUser12]

I like the image too. I'm going to test a few different versions of it to see which gets the most clicks (assuming those who watch the video are more likely to purchase)
Thanks for the feedback. I've had similar feedback from some experienced eCommerce friends who recommend being absolutely ruthless and trimming it down to 30 seconds. You're right about DSC and PooPourri moving very quickly through scene changes and basically there is no time between voiceovers. We use Wistia for video and you can measure engagement really well with with their statistics tools (% of people who finish the video, where they stop, where they re-watch etc)

I have to agree. I've been an editor for 15 years and I will give you my personal guarantee that this video is way too slow for what you are trying to do. It's a common problem, people shoot a bunch of footage so they want to use it, but you have to let that go and cut this down.

This doesn't always mean completely removing shots (although I would take out shots like the guy getting out of the car which is completely unnecessary), it means only showing people the absolutely minimum they need to get the point (one shot of the guy crying is enough).

Play it back and just listen to it without watching it, you'll easily hear the gaps. It should be almost all voice over or quick bits of people talking on camera. Right now, as my old boss use to say, 'You could drive a Mac truck through those gaps'.

Also, a good track of stock music would really help this out also.

 

[leveragehacker]

Getting consumers to sign up to a recurring payment is tough. Curious as to your churn rate.

Good job on the design, looks nice. Have you got a referral program set up to incentivise your existing customers refer new ones? I remember DSC did this well and I found the same referral software they used once..can't remember what it's called. Also, maybe try running a giveaway competition using this new wordpress plugin - http://kingsumo.com/apps/giveaways - it's really good for building email lists.

Keep up it up fastlaner!

 

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[Kak]

Maybe this should go in the INE threads but I think I would probably sign up for a service of prepasted toothbrushes like they have at Ritz Carlton's. You brush your teeth and throw it away. I like that. I would do that at home if there was a better way...

Think about how easy traveling would be, no douchey ziplock bags with paste and approved TSA sized crap. 4 days? Throw 8 plastic wrapped toothbrushes in the suitcase and go.

Sign me up for 60 a month!

 

[PopEmersen]

Maybe this should go in the INE threads but I think I would probably sign up for a service of prepasted toothbrushes like they have at Ritz Carlton's. You brush your teeth and throw it away. I like that. I would do that at home if there was a better way...

Man, I had no idea this even existed lol. Prepasted?

 

[Kak]

Wastefultoothbrush.com because you deserve excess...

It's available by the way.

 

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[Kak]

Man, I had no idea this even existed lol. Prepasted?

"I prefer not to have to paste my own toothbrushes. What a chore that is... I prefer a concierge toothbrush." Lol.

"You wouldn't reuse toilet paper would you? Why reuse a disgusting brush that has scrubbed scum off of your teeth?"

"You might as well scrub your a$$ with with your sonicare because a toilet seat has less germs on it"

 

[Bowden]

Scrap the name, go with OralFairy. Have a sexy little fairy with an oral treat basket ready for delivery.

Offer packages that come with: toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.

Use the controversial name and logo to get you press. Branding is everything.

Boom - Profit!!

 

[dochustle]

Getting consumers to sign up to a recurring payment is tough. Curious as to your churn rate.

Good job on the design, looks nice. Have you got a referral program set up to incentivise your existing customers refer new ones? I remember DSC did this well and I found the same referral software they used once..can't remember what it's called. Also, maybe try running a giveaway competition using this new wordpress plugin - http://kingsumo.com/apps/giveaways - it's really good for building email lists.

Keep up it up fastlaner!

Churn rate is fairly low, always has been. Below 5%/month.

We are testing a referral program out right now. Customers see it on the thank-you page. We actually use the same software as DSC (FriendBuy).

Maybe this should go in the INE threads but I think I would probably sign up for a service of prepasted toothbrushes like they have at Ritz Carlton's. You brush your teeth and throw it away. I like that. I would do that at home if there was a better way...

Think about how easy traveling would be, no douchey ziplock bags with paste and approved TSA sized crap. 4 days? Throw 8 plastic wrapped toothbrushes in the suitcase and go.

Sign me up for 60 a month!

Check your PM!

 

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[D11FYY]

I wouldnt sign up for this personally. I have about 4/5 grocery shops within 3 miles of here and some of them are duck cheap.

I still wouldn't be interested in this, but this is a much better sales idea: complete bathroom subscription. Focusing on men would probably be better since I think women like to mix up their toiletries every now and then. Call it "Bathroom Butler," and have a complete sales package. Maybe start it as a gift/gag subscription that someone can buy someone else (think moms for college students).

You should definitely incorporate this idea into your business. You would sell a lot more packaged products rather than solely toothbrushes.

 

[IntelliProperty]

I wouldn't say video does much for the website. That's quite an annoying voice, made me switch it off after 3 seconds.

Can you re-do the audio as I believe you will receive more conversions rather than with the tachy voice.

Otherwise, I've not been around the forum for a year and I remember the first thread, good to see things moving along.

 

[jaydeiboldt]

I think your main issue with this is the value proposition. There isn't enough of a pain point when it comes to the problem.

Waiting in line for an extra 2 minutes (because of "extreme couponers"?), and an annoying counter clerk is not anywhere near a big enough problem to make me sign up for recurring toothbrushes.

DSC addressed a huge problem - cost. Razors are REALLY expensive for the average consumer. Even shitty ones.

Its too easy for someone to stop at the store and get a cheap toothbrush.

I hate to criticize because it's clear you've worked hard on the site and service, but you have to look objectively at it from an outsider's point of view. Why hasn't it caught on yet?

 

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[Aidan]

I definitely like this one. Since you are advocating the best way to brush teeth, I believe it should also include electric toothbrush heads.

Love you idea btw, it's always hard to determine the state of your toothbrush and to remember when you've bought it.

Good luck!

I'm going to second this.

Supply harder-to-find products such as electric toothbrush heads, and shaving items at a great price that usually cost a fortune at a drug store.

Hit all the pain points of the everyday bathroom experience, and not one specific item that's easily replaceable.

 

[458]

I have no opinion on this one but when I went to your site on my phone there is no link to view the full site and that pisses me off and I'm sure it will piss off one of your potential customers.

 

[LiveTheWay]

I think your main issue with this is the value proposition. There isn't enough of a pain point when it comes to the problem.

Waiting in line for an extra 2 minutes (because of "extreme couponers"?), and an annoying counter clerk is not anywhere near a big enough problem to make me sign up for recurring toothbrushes.

DSC addressed a huge problem - cost. Razors are REALLY expensive for the average consumer. Even shitty ones.

Its too easy for someone to stop at the store and get a cheap toothbrush.

I hate to criticize because it's clear you've worked hard on the site and service, but you have to look objectively at it from an outsider's point of view. Why hasn't it caught on yet?

I have to second this. The pain points come off as exaggerated rather than simply dramatized in the video. You mentioned the time and expense to produce the video, which makes me hesitant to offer any criticism, but I always want honest feedback myself even if it hurts.

1. gross toothbrush= really? a few bent bristles from wear... no big deal, just a reminder to grab one on the next grocery trip. Unrealistic and overly dramatic as presented. My eyes were rolling.

2. Who goes to the store and only buys a toothbrush? Again, unrealistic. I flip mine in the cart while on my way to the hamburger rolls while at the grocery store (actually, my wife does this most of the time thus reducing my pain from almost zero to completely zero).

3. Gee, all those toothbrush choices? Perhaps for extreme elderly and mentally challenged folk possibly? I see this as a stretch at best, and at worst could be taken as an insult. Your solution for this "pain" does not seem clarify/educate regarding the available choices, but attempts to solve by eliminating the diversity of choices.

4. The schedule for changing the brush is the only strong point I see. How about education about the quality of dental hygiene when using a less than effective toothbrush, perhaps with some science in the mix? How effective are they after 2 weeks as compared to 6 weeks? Most people just eyeball the bristle wear and do not care to keep a time schedule. Is this bad? (I assume yes) Surely your service offers a better solution! The service could inexpensively help the consumer to improve the overall quality of their dental hygiene. This is the real advantage to buying from a store because the store is not going to keep track of time for you.

If I can offer something that improves dental hygiene for the average person with no additional cost by offering a fool proof (no customer effort required) scheduling system AND make a convincing argument that my brushes are better than average, I would play this strength to maximum effect! I would also try to offer toothbrushes that have even greater technical advantages over many store bought brushes if possible (bristle composition, shape...something). Prove the benefit though (it's there)... make me believe!

In short, I believe you have potential strengths you are not capitalizing on while inflating "straw man" pain points that most people won't find compelling.

I apologize if I come off like a punk just being an armchair quarterback regarding your baby. Take it with a grain of salt, but as I share stuff in the future, I am hoping for this exact style of feedback from others. I truly hope you are very successful with this!

Also, this feedback is related to the video, which is the only thing many visitors will consume. I realize the other elements of your site promote the strength of your business model!

 

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[arcola]

do not listen to these guys. the pain point is there

 

[Bowden]

Still waiting to see the logo for Oral Fairy

 

[Y.B.]

I just saw the site featured on shoemoney, good job:
http://www.shoemoney.com/2014/07/11/free-shirt-friday-toothbrush-subscriptions-toothbrushsubs

 

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[Joe Cassandra]

I have to second this. The pain points come off as exaggerated rather than simply dramatized in the video. You mentioned the time and expense to produce the video, which makes me hesitant to offer any criticism, but I always want honest feedback myself even if it hurts.

1. gross toothbrush= really? a few bent bristles from wear... no big deal, just a reminder to grab one on the next grocery trip. Unrealistic and overly dramatic as presented. My eyes were rolling.

2. Who goes to the store and only buys a toothbrush? Again, unrealistic. I flip mine in the cart while on my way to the hamburger rolls while at the grocery store (actually, my wife does this most of the time thus reducing my pain from almost zero to completely zero).

3. Gee, all those toothbrush choices? Perhaps for extreme elderly and mentally challenged folk possibly? I see this as a stretch at best, and at worst could be taken as an insult. Your solution for this "pain" does not seem clarify/educate regarding the available choices, but attempts to solve by eliminating the diversity of choices.

4. The schedule for changing the brush is the only strong point I see. How about education about the quality of dental hygiene when using a less than effective toothbrush, perhaps with some science in the mix? How effective are they after 2 weeks as compared to 6 weeks? Most people just eyeball the bristle wear and do not care to keep a time schedule. Is this bad? (I assume yes) Surely your service offers a better solution! The service could inexpensively help the consumer to improve the overall quality of their dental hygiene. This is the real advantage to buying from a store because the store is not going to keep track of time for you.

If I can offer something that improves dental hygiene for the average person with no additional cost by offering a fool proof (no customer effort required) scheduling system AND make a convincing argument that my brushes are better than average, I would play this strength to maximum effect! I would also try to offer toothbrushes that have even greater technical advantages over many store bought brushes if possible (bristle composition, shape...something). Prove the benefit though (it's there)... make me believe!

In short, I believe you have potential strengths you are not capitalizing on while inflating "straw man" pain points that most people won't find compelling.

I apologize if I come off like a punk just being an armchair quarterback regarding your baby. Take it with a grain of salt, but as I share stuff in the future, I am hoping for this exact style of feedback from others. I truly hope you are very successful with this!

Also, this feedback is related to the video, which is the only thing many visitors will consume. I realize the other elements of your site promote the strength of your business model!

People could care less about a better than average toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes are popular because we are too lazy to move our hands and "feel" cleaner.

Most people just dont care about dental hygiene, you can spell out the benefits but brushing teeth is still work in our eyes and you dont see any immediate benefit (whiter teeth etc, well fresh breathe you get). Just like smoking, "Hey I dont have throat cancer now so who cares if I smoke" same with teeth.

DSC has razors people NEED for personal looks (vanity) and necessity ( dont want to look like ZZTop). It provides an immediate benefit, same with their butt wipes ( feels nicer and you notice the clean in your booty). Brushing doesnt have that.

Find an immediate gratification in personal hygiene and it might work.

Good job taking action!