Yes, Old Spice Ambassador has been discontinued by the manufacturer. If you’re wondering whether or not Old Spice Ambassador is discontinued, then your imagination is right. You now need to look for alternatives.
How to Determine If a Product Is Truly Discontinued
The most reliable source will be the brand’s website. The brand will communicate the discontinuation on their website or social media. Barring that, you can check forums, where discussion of the products is often found once consumers can no longer see the product on the shelves.
What to Do When Your Favorite Product Is Discontinued
Resign to Fate
The safest thing to do is to resign to fate. Sometimes it’s easy to do, other times it’s not, especially if the product has formed part of your everyday life. Unfortunately, there are not always closely related alternatives. This takes us to the next point:
Look for Alternatives
This is also one of the best steps you can take after the production of your favorite product is halted. Simply look for alternatives either from the same brand or similar companies. Most times, you’ll find substitutes (even if doesn’t completely replace it), and other times, you may find there is no replacement.
Check DIscontinued Product Sites
Some sites now exist that sell formulas for discontinued products. This is mostly when it’s skincare or haircare products.
Don’t Buy In Panic
Usually, when the news of impending discontinuation breaks out, most people rush to buy it in bulk. This isn’t bad in itself. However, this is the time some retailers take advantage of consumers by setting the price extremely high. You can expect to pay from 2x the original price up to 10x or even more. Unfortunately, such products often fly off the shelf very quickly and there is nothing you can do.
Why Do Brands Discontinue Products (EVEN When They Are Popular)
There are a lot of reasons a brand may stop the production of a product. Reasons range from higher costs of production, safety concerns, meager profit margin, etc… In this section, you’ll learn about the most cogent reasons brands may put a stop to your favorite products, regardless of what you think.
Product No Longer Selling Well
No matter how much you like a product or how popular it is with you, the sales may not justify the continuous production of it. And if a brand isn’t getting enough sales, they’ll stop making the product or design another one to replace it. This is often cited as one of the major reasons to discontinue a product.
Profit Margin Is Low
Profit is a big motivating factor for doing business. All businesses are in it for profit. Therefore, if the profit margin is small or the cost of making a product is significantly higher than the revenue a brand is seeing, such a product is likely to be discontinued. Even if there are dozens of people rooting for the product, this singular reason can make a brand stop the production of a product.
Safety Concerns
The brands themselves may produce a product that is not safe for human consumption or bad for the environment in the long term. As a result, the brand may recall the product or pull it off the market. It could also be a concern raised by Federal agencies like the EPA or FDA, depending on which product it is. There have been cases where the production of such products not only stopped but the rest of the products were removed from the market.
Worn Out Equipment
If the tool that the brand is using to make the product has worn out and is expensive to procure, this can affect the continuation of the product. Usually, if it is a single model or line of product, it’ll be easier for the brand to stop its production. However, if there are several variations of a product being produced by a single machine, for instance, the company may reconsider the purchase of new equipment to not cease production.
Material No Longer Available
It is possible that the material or a critical component that makes the whole product is no longer available. It could be an ingredient that is outlawed or too expensive to procure unlike before. If this will affect the finished product, and therefore, reduce patronage, the brand may discontinue the product and make another.
The Product Is Built to Last too Long
At some point, a brand may realize they have built a product too good that it lasts a very long time. In which case, it wouldn’t be good for their bottom line. So, one of the ways such brands can help their bottom line is to stop the production or reduce the quality so people can return more often.
Product Lifespan
Some products are built for life. Some get outdated due to changing times or consumer demand. A company may decide to create a better, new product to replace the new one. This often happens more than you can imagine or you probably may have experienced it yourself.
Conclusion
When a product is discontinued, the most probable thing is that you won’t be able to buy the product again for life. Sometimes brands would return the product after conducting a survey that shows the product really popular. However, that is often rare. The best option you have is to go for an alternative. And if you look well enough, you might be able to spot a perfect substitute.