BATH, England — Lovehoney reported a 56 percent surge in sales in the first week following the launch of its Christmas and Valentine’s Day TV advertising campaign.
For the first time, media regulator Clearcast has allowed Lovehoney to showcase its products via TV ads — but only in those shown after 11 p.m.
Between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., products advertised must be illustrated and come in "plain boxes."
Lovehoney co-founder Richard Longhurst said the ads shown after 11 p.m. are garnering better returns.
"We are making progress with Clearcast and it is great news that we have been able to feature products in TV ads for the first time in the U.K.,” Longhurst said."We obviously get fewer viewers for the later ads, but they are proving to be much more effective in terms of conversions."
Nine different ads have been produced, each incorporating real comments from customers explaining why they use Lovehoney products, the company said.
Longhurst added that he was particularly encouraged by the early leap in sales because last Christmas’ figures were boosted by what he calls the “Fifty Shades of Grey effect.”
He explained, "To be up so much year-on-year is a fantastic result — Christmas has definitely come early at Lovehoney. It shows that the whole market has taken a giant leap forward since "Fifty Shades."
Average spend-per-order is up around 10 percent year-on-year, with luxury toys such as the We Vibe 4 selling best, Lovehoney reported
"As sex toys become increasingly part of the mainstream, you'll be seeing a lot more toys being left under the Christmas tree, particularly couples’ toys,” Longhurst concluded. “The days when we were a novelty purchase are long gone."
