Iconic Chanel N°5 sells for over $100 every 30 seconds!

This 100 year old product accounts for 15% of CHANEL‘s revenue.

One bottle of the iconic Chanel N°5 (Chanel number 5) sells for over $100 every 30 seconds!

Launched 100 years ago, Chanel N°5 still uses the same ingredients, name, and iconic bottle design and is one of the most popular products in the fragrance industry.

In an industry where coming out with “something new” is the name of the game, Chanel N°5 breaks the norm.

But how?

Here are 5 things they did right:

1️⃣ Simplistic name:

➖ The name sounds like an address.
➖ Chanel N°5 is easy to remember
➖ It requires no translation from country to country

2️⃣ Resonation with women:

➖ Coco Chanel’s goal was to let the wearer define herself rather than imposing a view on the wearer.
➖ Her message still rings true with a lot of women today.

3️⃣ Minimalistic Bottle design:

➖ Chanel wanted a simple design that was easy to understand.
So, the bottle looks like a laboratory flask or a whiskey decanter.
➖ The design has a masculine look, which showcases that a woman is equal to a man in strength & independence.

4️⃣ Personalised touch:

➖ Each N°5 bottle is manually sealed
➖ Each ingredient is manually selected & inspected
➖ This personalisation also contributed to its popularity.

5️⃣ The exclusivity factor:

➖ The ingredients have remained the same
➖ The flowers used are grown in the same area where they were grown 100 years ago

For example, one of the ingredients is Rose Centrifolia, a particular flower that blooms for three weeks only in May!

This blend of rarity, consistency & exclusivity resonates with its customer base, leading to its popularity.

Coco Chanel’s vision was to curate a product that resonates with women timelessly.

100 years later, Chanel surpassed this vision.

Do you think any existing startup has the making to stay relevant 100 years from now?