Brands Briefing: Inside Harry’s holiday gift sets strategy

In turn, Harry’s is making the Harry’s Plus razor a key part of its holiday strategy, offering three exclusive and limited-edition gift sets, including one on its DTC site and two sets for its respective retail partners: Target and Walmart. Each of them retails for $15 or less and comes in a bundle that includes the Harry’s Plus handle and a blade cartridge. The Walmart-exclusive set, for example, also includes a shave gel and a blade travel cover.

Gift sets are not necessarily new for Harry’s. The brand has offered shaving bundles positioned as stocking stuffers over the years, which typically included starter sets of its popular disposable razor system. The company says that during the fourth quarter, it is usually able to gain category share over legacy players due to its push of these starter sets. But this year, Harry’s is hoping the investment in creating the limited-edition sets of Harry’s Plus will position it as a main gift, versus an add-on or stocking stuffer.  

According to Katie Erhard, the director of omnichannel brand strategy at Harry’s, “We are using this holiday as a moment for Harry’s Plus and to drive what we always call ‘handles in hand.'” So far, the new design has performed strongly on DTC. “We’re really excited to introduce it to more consumers as we get into the holiday season,” Erhard said.

Erhard said it helps that Harry’s Plus is well-positioned to be seen as a more elevated present than its classic razor. The Harry’s Plus handle starts at $13 on the brand’s website, compared to the original razor that starts at $10. Harry’s Plus, which has been in the works for nearly a decade, offers premium features like a full chrome handle and a built-in precision trimmer for sideburns and hard-to-reach spots.

“The new product looks super premium, both from the packaging standpoint and the razor design itself,” Erhard said. “This one delivers a superior shave that’s driven by the advanced pivoting system.” Harry’s also hopes these sets will bring new male customers into the fold. This fall, the company also introduced a line of fragrance to capitalize on the category’s boom. 

Affordability is also key for this year’s gift-giving season, Erhard said. “The reality is that we’re in a challenging economic environment, so the combo of a new product at an affordable price makes it a really unique holiday offering.” She said the company also put a lot of thought into developing sleek packaging.

For top retail partners like Walmart and Target, Harry’s created exclusive sets with unique colors. For example, there is a limited-edition all-black Harry’s Plus design created specifically for Target. This Target-exclusive set retails for $12.99 and includes the main handle and two blade cartridges. This set has been online for two weeks and is rolling out in stores through early November. “That’s been off to a great start and is selling really fast,” Erhard said.

Meanwhile, Erhard said that Harry’s got feedback from Walmart that it wanted to make gift sets a key part of holiday this year, prompting Harry’s to create a custom set exclusively for Walmart featuring the Harry’s Plus green handle and a large shave gel. “It has a beautiful wrapping paper and giftable box, and we call out that this is a $25 value [set] that we are selling for $15,” Erhard said.

Renee Caceres, head of retail and commerce media at marketing platform StackAdapt, said there is a shift among retail brands from offering pure discounting to creating perceived value.

Gift sets are a clever way to reframe everyday essentials as something personal and thoughtful, Caceres said, “especially for consumers who are more intentional with their spending.” These seasonal items are not just accessible to the average shopper, Caceres said. They also help build relevance and strengthen affinity for brands known for utilitarian CPG items such as razors.  

Gifting daily essentials is also becoming more popular as consumers tighten their spending. Bess Devenow, retail media analyst at Vantage, said recent events like Amazon’s fall Prime Big Deal Days show that shoppers are using holiday promotions to stock up on essentials, as opposed to higher ticket items. According to Numerator, only about 23% of Prime Big Deal Days shoppers reported purchasing gifts for the holidays. Numerator’s Prime Day Big Deal Days tracker showed that the event’s top five sales categories were: apparel and shoes, household essentials, home goods, beauty and cosmetics and health and wellness.

“They were stocking up on everyday staples like Dawn Powerwash, Premier Protein Shakes and Liquid I.V.,” said Devenow, who expects that practical, value-first mindset to carry into consumers’ holiday shopping habits. “In a season defined by cautious spending, brands that reframe everyday products as thoughtful, affordable gifts are meeting consumers where they are currently,” Devenow said.

Erhard said Harry’s is leaning into its customers’ shifting habits by offering affordable, yet useful beauty and wellness products to gift loved ones. “People are really trying to lean into utility with their gift-giving,” Erhard said. “Nobody wants to spend a lot of money on a bunch of gifts that get dumped in a drawer and forgotten.” –– Gabriela Barkho

Beachwaver bets on daily deals to drive holiday sales

The hair-care brand Beachwaver is teaming up with 30 other women-owned brands to sell bundled daily deals in a bid to capture holiday shoppers and highlight other women-owned businesses. The “She Sleighs” campaign will feature live TikTok videos unveiling each brand, including Rachel Zoe, Tarte Cosmetics and Rebecca Minkoff. Beachwaver founder and CEO Sarah Potempa said it’s a way for shoppers to try out new brands or bundle their holiday shopping, while also helping the brand drive consistent sales instead of a rush during Cyber Week. 

Select products will also be sold on the Beachwaver website in a new Holiday Market landing page.

“We’re spreading out more in November, and so we’re actually bringing more items out earlier and giving people more time to prepare for the holidays and plan,” she said. 

Behind the scenes, the deal drop is also a way to help streamline a busy holiday shipping season. Potempa said the bundles can be assembled in advance to expedite packing and delivery speeds. The company also shifted bigger brands toward the end of the campaign to drive more sales during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday stretch while alleviating inventory concerns. “This has been a huge inventory conversation, non-stop, between a lot of us here at the warehouse and the other brands,” she said. –Melissa Daniels

Exclusive: Tractor Supply joins forces with Morgan Wallen’s Field & Stream on a new apparel collection

This week, Tractor Supply Company is partnering with the outdoors brand Field & Stream on a line of apparel, accessories and pet products. The two worked together earlier this year on hunting products, and they will roll out more merchandise together in 2026.

Field & Stream launched in 1871 and found a following with fans including Teddy Roosevelt, who contributed to its magazine. But the property faded in recent years amid increased competition. Its magazine became online-only in 2020. In 2023, Dick’s Sporting Goods — which acquired the rights to use the Field & Stream name in retail in 2012 — pulled the plug on Field & Stream stores to focus on House of Sport. And in 2024, Field & Stream came under new ownership that included country singers Morgan Wallen and Eric Church. 

Field & Stream relaunched products on Amazon in July 2025. But it also talked with Tractor Supply about working together, said Seth Estep, chief merchandising officer at Tractor Supply. It was a good fit, Estep said, as the wildlife and outdoor-recreation categories “have been some of the fastest-growing segments for us at Tractor Supply.” In July, Hal Lawton, the CEO of Tractor Supply, called Field & Stream “a cornerstone of our long-term merchandising strategy.”

On Nov. 3, Tractor Supply launched its second wave of Field & Stream products, including baseball caps, T-shirts and pet food. It’s part of a multi-year partnership that will include future functional apparel, including long-sleeve knits, tech pants, and rubber and leather footwear. The products are exclusive to Tractor Supply and mark the first time Tractor Supply is carrying Field & Stream apparel.

Apparel, in general, accounts for about 8-10% of Tractor Supply’s business and has been a “steady growth category for several years” amid interest in Westernwear, Estep said. The company also carries brands like Carhartt, Wrangler and Levi’s, plus private brands. Last month, Tractor Supply reported that its third-quarter net sales hit a record $3.72 billion. –Julia Waldow

What we’re reading

• A shake-up in the CPG space: Kimberly-Clark, owner of Kleenex and Huggies, intends to acquire Tylenol-maker Kenvue for $40 billion.
• Chipotle says younger customers are cutting back on dining out.
• How Boll & Branch’s Scott Tannen figures out where to open new retail stores.

What we’ve covered

• Why Shopify became the latest company to launch a Substack.
• Inside Grüns’s holiday strategy.
• How AI is reshaping the holiday gift guide.