Balls is heading to the U.S.
The intimate grooming brand from the U.K. is launching its hero Trimmer product for $79, or $74 with a three-month automatic blade renewal, in the U.S. exclusively on its website and on Amazon, beginning April 15 and April 20, respectively.
Founded by Tyler Ball and Matt Edge in 2019, Balls is the latest in the growing number of dedicated intimate grooming brands servicing men in the U.S., joining the likes of Manscaped and Meridian among others.
Global Industry Analysts said the global demand for hair removal products was estimated to be worth $881.1 million in 2020 and is expected to reach $1 billion by 2026. The U.S. leads the market valued at $246.3 million followed by China, while Japan, Canada and Germany were singled out as emerging markets.
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Balls chief executive officer Kevin Williams said the brand “grew like crazy” through 2019 and 2020, serving the U.K. market, expanding through Europe, mainly Germany and France, and expanding in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The brand shipped to over 80 countries in one month, and sold about 500,000 units to date. After launching the Trimmer, Balls will launch its full suite of products including lotions, washes and replacement blades.
“We are a major player in all of the other markets around the world,” Williams said about entering the U.S. “We have a pretty major advantage in that our brand is what it is. Being able to market across countries and languages is a heavy lift, but the me of 2023 is thanking the me now for doing that heavy lift. What will happen is our effort in the U.S. will trickle into the rest of the world.”
Williams, who is also CEO of Edward Ventures, took an equity position in the brand in July 2021 and took the lead seat as an operating partner. He confirmed that Ball and Edge have a minority involvement in the brand.
Prior to acquiring the stake, Williams was a partner behind the Brush Hero, a water-powered cleaning brush that “caught the attention of Walmart, Costco and ‘Shark Tank,’” according to Williams. They sold the brand in 2019. “Because I was capitalized by some investors, this led us down the road to Balls,” he added.
The CEO likes to have fun with the brand name and with brand marketing. They lean onto Tyler Ball’s family name for content and include surprises, interactive videos and extra pieces of content with products. Ball was fortunate to start a company with a name so close to his own so he was able to secure many intellectual properties and trademarks around the name Balls.
The brand tapped comedian and Balls ambassador Oliver Sotra to lead its “Man on the Street” docuseries where every day men and women are asked about intimate grooming. Sotra is headed to New York City, Boston, Salt Lake City and Miami to continue the series tour.
Balls is expanding North America into the U.S. driven by the country’s market potential being “five to 10 times the U.K. market,” in Williams’ projections. The U.K. accounts for 40 percent of their business, and the remaining 60 percent is split between Europe, mainly Germany, and commonwealth countries.
Williams explained that marketing the brand in Europe gives them an advantage in the U.S. in that they have different ways to market the product. He said that different countries required different communication approaches utilizing humor for some countries to present the somewhat taboo topic or communicating utility for groin health and hygiene or athletics like swimming or cycling (Williams is a marathon mountain biker as well).
But more important than the communication is the demographic Balls is serving, which Williams says is very broad.
“A salient point to make is that when you look at this market, there is 18 to 24, the Millennial market focused on self-care,” he began. “But the reality we’re finding is the demographic and motivations extend beyond that. I sit down with my peer group between the ages of 40 to 50 and you’ll see a few have a WTF look, a few will give a knowing smile, and the other two will always say, ‘Tell me more. They’re trimmer curious.”
As for wholesale partners, Williams said the brand is focused on selling direct-to-consumer for now. “I believe in digitally native brands,” he said. “It allows a different user experience. We really have no interest in being on Target shelves.”