Competitor # 1: Tattoodo

Overview:

I’ll be analyzing a potential competitor called Tattoodo (https://www.tattoodo.com/) which is an online content provider for tattoo lifestyle and culture, with a focus on their booking platform to book consultations and appointments.

Key Objectives:

Tattoodo is attempting to be a part of a user’s tattoo journey from beginning to end, from design inspiration to finding an artist, and booking within their platform. They claim to allow users access to the “largest tattoo community.” Phrase on their homepage “The New Way to be Inspired and Book Tattoos.”

Bottom line:

• Provide original and curated content for 30M+ network users
• Connect potential clients with artists and studios
• Provide bookings for tattoo artists and studios

Overall Strategy:

Tattoodo was co-founded by famous tattoo artist Ami James. Their website lists over 100 Ambassadors who act as “Tattoodo Guarantors” who help increase awareness about Tattoodo. Tattoodo has an incredible following of over 17M on Facebook and 3.3M on Instagram which have access to their fresh, almost daily, written and video content. They don’t seem to pay for any Google or Facebook ads and their last press release was in 2018, so it would appear that they rely heavily on social media as a resource for users.

4.7 Stars rated on IOS and 4.5 stars on the Play Store, out of 3k and 20k ratings, respectively.

Bottom line:

• They do not appear to be spending a lot on online advertising
• Likely rely on their ambassadors to share their content and utilize their platform
• Fresh updates of written and video content across their site, likely to help boost their social media presence (with sharing, following, and liking capabilities) and increase users/followers.
• Set themselves apart by being a one-stop shop for tattoo enthusiasts.

Market Advantage:

Tattoodo has a large social media following (millions) which is likely due to their network of renowned tattoo artists and a high social media presence. They do rank high organically in Google search for “tattoos” and “find a tattoo artist” but oddly not very high when searching for “tattoo inspiration, which means they may be missing out on newbies who are not yet aware of the tattoo community available to them. They do show up in the Top 5 on app searches for “tattoo” and “tattoo inspiration.” Beyond having a reputation with renowned tattoo artists across the world, they are also able to connect local studios with users looking to get a tattoo, and allow them the ability to book an appointment on their site.

Bottom line:

• Google organic search results rank Tattoodo high, often #1 in basic “tattoo” searches, ensuring they are capturing the majority of the market, users looking for tattoo inspiration and/or to find a tattoo artist.
• Tattoodo hosts over 300k artists and are supported by “world-renowned” artists across the globe, likely helping them feed their content with these artists’ followers.

Market Profile

Founded in 2013, Tattoodo was originally created (according to Crunchbase) as a “content provider focused on the tattoo culture and lifestyle,” intended to deliver new and relevant content and bring artists and tattoo enthusiasts alike together in a community. Since then, Tattoodo has set their goals even higher, aiming to be the one-stop shop for tattoo enthusiasts and offers services such as Artist Profiles, Reviews, and the ability to book an appointment via their site.

They have had 5 rounds of funding and the last round was July 2019 for $5.3M.

Bottom Line:

• They have increased their offerings over the last few years to incorporate all aspects of the tattoo experience, from looking for inspiration to booking an appointment.
• They set themselves apart with their support from famous and renowned artists and their followers/social media presence.
• Adding the Booking tool is now an item they can sell to artists and studios
• Does not appear to do any online advertising (Facebook or Google) for artists or tattoo enthusiasts.
• Pushes out relevant content almost daily, likely to attract new users and keep current users interested.

SWOT Analysis

UX Competitive Analysis

Competitor # 2: Inkhunter

Overview:

I’ll be analyzing a potential competitor called Inkhunter (http://www.inkhunter.tattoo/index.html) which is an augmented reality app that enables users to project designs on their body in real-time before making the commitment to permanently place on their skin.

Key Objectives:

Inkhunter’s slogan is “Think Before You Ink” setting themselves apart by allowing users a “try before buy” experience.

Bottom line:

• Smart AR tech that allows users to try on designs in real-time
• Emotional connection with users, helping them avoid regretful tattoo decisions
• Large offering of design content with ability for artists and users to add their own designs

Overall Strategy:

Inkhunter does not appear to have very many outlets for promotion. Their Instagram seems to be the only online presence that is managed, however, up until about a week ago, their last post was as of June 2019.  A quick Google search for “Inkhunter” shows 3 articles total, 2 from Techcrunch and one from Medium.com. The last one was written in 2018. They have about 21.k followers on Instagram. They do show up #1 in Tattoo search on Google Play Store for “tattoo” search but they do not show up in any paid or organic search on Google.

Worth noting that they do have many artists on their site, though I can’t find any reliable source of how many artists are utilizing/partnering with Inkhunter. There is a possibility that Inkhunter relies on their artists to share app awareness.

App Rating 4.5 out of 10,900 ratings and Google Play Store 4.5 out of 36,900 ratings.

Bottom line:

• They do not appear to be spending any advertising dollars
• Haven’t utilized social media in awhile (7-month hiatus until very recently, 6 days ago)
• Likely relying on the mobile app stores (IOS and Android) for the majority of their users

Market Advantage:

Inkhunter does have a large following on Instagram, but their other social media platforms seem to be ignored as they only have about 4k followers vs. Instagram’s 21k followers. They rank #1 on Google searches for “tattoo apps” and are typically the #1 ranked app on many blogs and articles ranking tattoo apps.

Bottom line:

• High positioning on Google gives them a strong advantage against any tattoo app
• Featured #1 in ITunes and Google Play Store for “Tattoo” search means they are likely not missing out on their target audience

Market Profile

According to CrunchBase, Inkhunter was founded in 2016 as an augmented reality platform, with one key objective that is to enable users to try tattoo designs before making them permanent. In February 2020, they launched their latest offering, which is the ability for their artists to create Booking Forms (using Google Forms) to encourage users to book via their app. While they haven’t been doing much in terms of social media presence or promotions lately, I imagine with this latest launch, we will be seeing more of a push on their new booking tool.

Bottom Line:

• Their AR tech sets them apart from other tattoo apps
• In an effort to keep up with competition, they have recently launched a Booking Tool, allowing tattoo enthusiasts to connect with artists in their area
• Does not appear to do any online advertising or self-promotion
• Allows users to browse designs for free, “limiting” some designs which users can unlock by watching ads

SWOT Analysis