educational

Retailers Gear Up for Pride Month

Retailers Gear Up for Pride Month

June is Pride month and it’s just around the corner. It’s also the perfect opportunity to bring in new customers — if you support and merchandise the holiday right. Parade goers and Pride partiers start shopping for celebration gear early and your rainbow-bright, eye-catching displays need to capture attention and inspire shoppers to impulse-buy. The key is clever product pairings, unique offerings, and a queer-friendly atmosphere to help seal the deal.

With a bit of strategic creativity, you can leverage Pride to increase your customer base long term, but you need to start planning and ordering now. Use these tips to help stock the items you need and display them right so you get the most out of Gay Pride season.

With a bit of strategic creativity, you can leverage Pride to increase your customer base long term, but you need to start planning and ordering now.

Think Creatively

Yes, it’s essential to stock rainbow wigs, T-shirts, gay pride flags, beads and penis-shaped candies, but it’s how you pair and display products that counts. Cross-promote with other not-so-obvious Pride items — intimate apparel, lingerie and harnesses to name a few — to take merchandising to a more eye-catching level. Your ability to think outside the box will attract shoppers’ attention and interest.

Before placing orders for Pride, give a second look at items for costuming and sex play. A celebrant may not bring brightly colored sex toys to the parade, but something they can strap, buckle or stretch on over their outfits could be the final touch shoppers are looking for. If you’re not confident in your apparel section, then it’s time to evaluate your inventory.

However you choose to display your Pride offerings, be sure to create a designated shopping area with all the accoutrements laid out and ready to buy. No point taking shoppers on a scavenger hunt to find Pride products spread out all over the store. And never underestimate the power of impulse purchasing. Display smaller, lower-priced Pride items – keychains, stickers, buttons, lighters – at high-traffic areas of the store – cash register, countertops, end caps – and get creative with the eye-grab. Bright colors are always a plus.

Play Gear for Pride

There are so many items typically marketed for intimate play that also make popular Pride gear. Take the Rainbow Lambskin Flogger from Strict Leather, for instance: It’s eye-catching with a subtle colorful motif and will make for an interactive tool for partygoers to bring to bars, parades, play parties, and other Pride-themed events around your city. Donning a flogger as part of one’s wardrobe is encouraged at these events — especially play parties.

It couldn’t hurt adding a butt plug to the mix, especially for Pride-goers who enjoy using their bodies to express themselves. Tailz makes a super-fun Rainbow Anal Tail Plug decorated with a long, cascading fox tail featuring all the rainbow’s stripes, something that’ll turn heads and make a statement at more boisterous Pride events. Display items like this front and center mixed in with more typical Pride fare, like rainbow clothing and colorful wigs.

And for those who like making a particular impressionin public, we also recommend enhancement devices like Textured Enhancement Sleeves by Trinity Vibes, which come in a convenient six-pack and give users a spectrum of rainbow colors to choose from. Displaying these along with cock rings or ball stretchers are a great way to equip shoppers with the gear they need to showcase their packages during Pride events.

Body Enhancers and Prosthetics

Packers and other prosthetics will be in high demand for Pride, for use in costuming, adult play, and everyday wear. Packers are a great way to show some package without getting undressed and styles like the Pecker Packer Penis Prop — in four inch or five inch can make a major impression.

Of course, to use a packer you need a harness to hold it in place — a fitting upsell. Some popular styles are the Mod Strap-On Style Harness with Built-In O-Ring or the Boxer Style Packing Harness Briefs, which are great for comfortable long-term wear under clothing. Don’t forget to cross-sell with strap-on accessories, like quiet bullet vibes, to remind shoppers of fun ways to enhance the experience.

Breast enhancers will also be in higher demand during Pride, so make sure to stock prosthetics like SC Novelties’ Breast Enhancers and display them prominently. There’s much focus on male-centric packers and enhancement gear but it’s important to balance your inventory to be inclusive to as many shoppers as possible!

Clothing

Colorful clothing options are perfect for Pride but there is a wide range of rainbow-free apparel that makes appearances during the season. Leather, latex and other fetish clothing are always Pride-ready and remain useful way after the month ends. For example, chest harnesses like the English Bull Dog Harness make a memorable impact when worn out on the scene, and even full-coverage tops like the Lambskin Leather Police Shirt by Strict Leather can do the trick.

Latex gloves can also enhance a steamy Pride outfit. Men’s Large Elbow-Length Gloves or Shoulder Length Latex Gloves are a great fit, and the Dripping Wet Surf Short Body Suit covers your top AND bottom for Gay Pride fun. Don’t forget to stock essential accessories for these kinds of outfits, like booty shorts, thongs and suspenders!

Pride season is perfect for connecting with your community and attracting new, potentially loyal shoppers into your store. With a strong selection, thoughtful layout, and an LGBTQ-friendly shopping atmosphere, you will be better able to establish rapport and trust with Pride-celebrators – which betters your chances of making repeat sales. Inclusivity and creativity in Pride month merchandising will make a most positive impression, so be sure your inventory (and staff) are ready to give these shoppers a reason to keep coming back to your store!

Morgan Panzino is the wholesale manager for SexToyDistributing.com, an online distributor that offers the most in-demand and hard-to-find brands in the BDSM and fetish categories from brands including Strict, Kink Industries, Master Series and Zeus Electrosex.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

The ABCs of POS Systems for Adult Store Owners

What point-of-sale system is best for your adult business? Figuring that out can be frustrating, since the numerous options and acronyms don’t easily translate into a clear checklist of features and benefits you can weigh.

Sean Quinn ·
opinion

How Pleasure Brands Can Leverage Strategic PR Amid Mainstream Media Layoffs

Thanks to the mainstreaming of pleasure products, pleasure brands can now gain broad exposure in all kinds of publications, from Cosmo to Allure to Good Housekeeping. Unfortunately, the economic uncertainty dominating the world and challenging businesses has hit the media sector particularly hard.

Kathryn Byberg ·
profile

WIA Profile: Ruth Arceo

In the beginning, all Ruth Arceo knew was that she dreamed of being a buyer — but when the opportunity presented itself for a career in the adult world, she found she’d struck it rich. Arceo is the lucky lady who gets to pick and choose how to line the shelves at The Pleasure Chest in West Hollywood, California.

Women In Adult ·
profile

CalExotics Founder and CEO Susan Colvin Reflects on Brand's 30-Year Legacy

Thirty years ago, back when there were only hard plastic sex toys in tan and black, Susan Colvin had a vision of what sex toys could be. And so she set out to create her own company, California Exotic Novelties, which for three decades has been a pioneer, continually reimagining and expanding the pleasure products market.

Kim Airs ·
opinion

How to Sell Shoppers on Water-Friendly Toys

From soothing self-care in the bath to the invigorating spray of a shower, water can introduce new dimensions of pleasure, unlock unique sensations and provide a sensual backdrop for intimate exploration.

Carly S. ·
opinion

Why BDSM Furniture and Sex Machines Make an Ideal Match

For BDSM enthusiasts and curious newbies alike, a big part of the fun is discovering and exploring exciting new sensations and scenarios. One way to level up is by combining or layering pleasures you already enjoy, and one surefire way to do that is with BDSM furniture.

Rebecca Weinberg ·
opinion

Tips for Boosting Ecommerce Revenue With Behavioral Insights

At our marketing agency, we focus on using real data to make better decisions for our clients. We believe every action a visitor takes on a website can tell us something important. This helps us shape our strategies and assist our clients in turning casual website visitors into loyal customers.

Lauren Bailey ·
opinion

A Look at the Do's and Don'ts of Gift-With-Purchase Promos

Imagine you’re at a store, deciding between two products with similar packaging, features and pricing. You’re not predisposed toward either brand and you haven’t seen any reviews — but one of them offers, “Free gift with purchase!” Does that win you over?

Vanessa Rose ·
opinion

Tips for Navigating a Completely Remote Job in Sexual Wellness

Anyone working in the sexual wellness and pleasure sector has at some point had to deal with issues like bias against the industry, as well as limited marketing and advertising options.

Bryony Lees ·
trends

Meet the 2024 Class of Up-and-Coming Pleasure Brands to Watch

With each new year that rolls in, new pleasure brands emerge, and 2024 is no exception. Already this year, a slew of new entrants are rapidly gaining traction and recognition via social media, among retailers and distributors — and most importantly, end consumers.

Show More