世論 What Japan Thinks

With Father’s Day being next weekend, here’s a timely look with DIMSDRIVE Research at a popular gift for this time of year, electric razors.

Demographics

Between the 13th and 28th or May 2009 9,897 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 50.3% of the sample were male, 1.0% in their teens, 13.0% in their twenties, 34.4% in their thirties, 30.3% in their forties, 15.1% in their fifties, and 6.2% aged sixty or older. 63.5% of the sample were married, although I don’t know if that has any significance towards the results.

Both my electric shavers have been presents from the wife. The first was a rather naff Hitachi single-headed alkali battery-operated one that required me to use a razor once a week or more to catch all the bits that it missed, and my current Braun was free via credit card mileage points. I use shaving gel to set up my skin, and barring quite poor performance around the Adam’s apple area, I’m quite happy.

You’ll note that there is no question “do you have a beard, thus no need to shave?”, or even asking how the beard trimming features of the shaver is.

Research results

Q1: How thick do you think your beard is? (Sample size=4,977, men)

Rather thick	10.3%
A little thick	24.2%
About average	41.1%
A little thin	17.0%
Rather thin	7.0%
Don’t want to answer	0.4%

Q2: About how often do you shave with the following implements? (Sample size=4,977, men)

	Razor	Electric shaver
Twice a day or more	0.9%	1.9%
Once a day	24.0%	38.9%
Five times a week	8.0%	8.5%
Twice or thrice a week	15.9%	10.5%
Once a week	9.2%	4.5%
Less than once a week	15.0%	9.5%
Don’t use one at all	27.0%	26.2%

The above table is a bit difficult to interpret without absolute values of those who don’t use razors at all, etc. However, the next question implies that there are 68 men, or 1.4%, who do not usually shave, although whether that is due to having a beard or not having facial hair is not clear.

Q3: What problems do you have when shaving? (Sample size=4,909, regular shavers, multiple answer)

Left-over unshaved bits	46.0%
Razor abrasions	25.7%
Evening stubble even after shaving in the morning	23.4%
Tingly skin after shaving	22.9%
Unskilled at shavings	19.1%
Razor cuts	18.6%
Thick stubble	15.4%
Difficult to shave morning stubble	13.5%
Dry skin	11.9%
Can’t find an electric shaver that suits me	6.5%
Can’t find a razor that suits me	3.6%
Other	0.9%
Nothing in partcular	21.6%

Q4: Which maker’s electric shaver do you mainly use? (Sample size=3,198, electric shaver users)

Panasonic (National)	36.1%
Braun	29.5%
Hitachi	6.7%
Philips	6.0%
Sanyo	5.4%

Q5: How many blades does this shaver have? (Sample size=3,198, electric shaver users)

Single blade	13.3%
Double blade	33.4%
Triple blade	30.9%
Four blade	3.5%
Don’t know	18.9%

There was a significant trend towards more blades for those with thicker beards.

Q6: How much did that shaver cost? (Sample size=3,198, electric shaver users)

Under 5,000 yen	21.7%
5,000 to 9,999 yen	30.9%
10,000 to 14,999 yen	16.6%
15,000 to 19,999 yen	7.8%
20,000 to 29,999 yen	6.4%
30,000 yen or more	2.0%
Bought myself, but forgot the price	6.6%
Didn’t buy it myself	8.0%

The thicker the beard, the more people spent on their shavers.

Q7: Which points did you refer to when selecting that shaver? (Sample size=3,198, electric shaver users who bought their own shaver, multiple answer)

Price	53.5%
Maker, brand	36.0%
Water washable	28.9%
Good cutting blade feel	14.2%
Number of blades	12.2%
Can give a close shave	11.3%
Blade drive type (rotary or vibrating head, etc)	10.8%
Easy to clean	9.9%
Shop staff recommendation	8.7%
Design, shape	8.4%
Automatic washing function	8.0%
Doesn’t leave behind unsaved patches	6.7%
Latest features	6.6%
Kind on skin, no tingly sensation	6.0%
Advertisements	5.6%
Battery life	5.2%
Hugs the skin	5.0%
Easy to shave morning stubble	3.6%
Other	3.3%
Nothing in particular	10.0%

By maker, Sanyo was most often chosen on price (and price alone!), Braun on brand, and Panasonic on water washability. Phillips score well for blade drive type, gentleness on skin, and face-hugging ability. Hitachi had no stand-out features.

Q8: How satisfied are you with your shaver? (Sample size=3,198, electric shaver users who bought their own shaver, by manufacturer)

	Totally satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Can’t say either way	Somewhat dissatisfied	Totally dissatisfied
Braun N=944	5.9%	53.5%	30.3%	8.4%	1.9%
Panasonic N=1,153	5.4%	49.0%	36.3%	7.9%	1.4%
Phillips N=192	6.3%	58.8%	20.8%	12.5%	1.6%
Hitachi N=215	2.8%	38.6%	40.4%	16.3%	1.9%
Sanyo N=174	1.1%	38.5%	42.6%	16.7%	1.1%

There was also a definite increase in satisfaction according to price paid, from just 36.0% of those having paid under 5,000 yen to 73.4% of those paying 30,000 yen or more. Those who hadn’t bought it themselves, or those who had forgotton how much they paid were both around 45% satisfaction.

Q9: Have you ever bought an electric shaver as a present for your husband, father? (Sample size=4,920, female)

Yes, on Father’s Day	19.1%
Yes, but on a different day	13.5%
No, never	67.4%

Q10: How did you select the electric shaver you bought as a present? Choose the single most appropriate answer. (Sample size=1,605, those buying a shaver as a present)

Just chose whatever	19.8%
We chose it together	18.2%
Chose the one recommended by staff	15.9%
Chose the one with lots of features	10.3%
Chose the one he asked for	9.5%
Chose the one with the latest features	8.9%
Chose the expensive one	1.9%
Other	2.7%
Don’t remember	12.8%