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Articles by Ariana Rodriguez

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WIA: Perfect Fit Brand's Cee Cee Peters on Building a Lasting Career

For much of her decades-long career in the adult products industry, Cee Cee Peters let her work speak louder than her name. While she built relationships with retailers, became a top salesperson, and watched the business evolve from a movie-dominated marketplace into today’s sexual wellness industry, Peters deliberately kept a relatively low public profile. Raising children during the rise of the internet made that decision especially important to her.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
trends

A Look Inside CC Wellness' Production Process

Stepping through the front doors of CC Wellness’ 215,000-square-foot headquarters, you first encounter the lubricant manufacturer’s comprehensive process in the company’s wall of plaques, which celebrate more than 25 formulas that have received FDA 510(k) clearances for medical devices.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
trends

A Look at the Growing Market for Pleasure-Enhancing Consumables

For decades, the sexual enhancement aisle consisted mainly of pills promising stamina, with bottles and blister packs leaning heavily into themes of masculinity, urgency and performance. The sales pitch was rarely subtle: Take this, and something bigger, harder, longer or more intense would follow.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
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WIA: Kristin Zuri-Godskind Draws on Deep Expertise to Elevate Sportsheets

After 18 years in the pleasure products industry, Kristin Zuri-Godskind has experienced the business from nearly every angle. Her career has taken her through retail, merchandising, management, distribution, sales, product education and manufacturing, giving her a perspective shaped as much by the sales floor as by the relationships she has built along the way.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
trends

ANME Marks 30 Years With New Product Spotlights, Evening Festivities

The ANME Founders Show marked its 30th anniversary with a combination of new product unveilings, networking and evening gatherings that highlighted both its legacy and the latest trends driving the pleasure industry.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
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Kate McGregor Builds a Trusted Retreat for Richmond, Va.'s Smallest Dogs

When Kate McGregor walks into Crate Escape Pet Resort and Spa, she is entering more than another business venture. The Richmond, Virginia, facility is the brick-and-mortar realization of a goal she began pursuing more than a decade ago, when a hip replacement gave her the chance to return to the animal-care work she had once been forced to leave behind.

Ariana Rodriguez ·

LATAM in Focus: A Look at the Trends Shaping Latin America's Pleasure Products Market

Across Latin America, pleasure shoppers are looking for innovation, but winning their business requires brands to balance aspirational qualities. Consumers are watching every dollar — or peso, Brazilian real, Peruvian sol, etc. — as tariffs, exchange rates and import costs push retail prices upward.

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Staying Power: Justin Ross on Two Decades of Building Screaming O

Ironically, it was a single-use, disposable vibrating ring that became the foundation of The Screaming O, transforming a basic foil pouch into the launchpad for a pleasure-product brand that has endured for over two decades.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
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WIA: Nasstoys' Suzy Contreras Drives Sales With Personal Connection

Suzy Contreras' journey into the pleasure products industry has been steady and carefully cultivated. Across departments, accounts and nurtured relationships, Contreras has demonstrated commitment and passion at each step.

Ariana Rodriguez ·

Williams Trading Founder Bob Pyne Sr. Passes Away at 88

Bob Pyne Sr., founder of Williams Trading Co. and adult industry pioneer, has passed away at the age of 88.

Lovehoney Group Resolves Patent Disputes With Maia Toys, CalExotics, Doc Johnson

Lovehoney Group announced in a statement that it has settled patent disputes with Maia Toys, CalExotics and Doc Johnson Enterprises regarding products protected by the company’s intellectual property rights.

COTR Releases b-Vibe C-Rings Collection

COTR has unveiled the new b-Vibe C-Rings collection.

Pleasure Pulse: The Latest Trends Shaping the Intimacy Products Market

Pleasure brands, retailers and distributors with their finger on the pulse of the market are sharing their observations on the latest trends from the past year that are driving sales.

trends

Meet the Women Shaping the Business of Pleasure

Over the past two decades, the pleasure products industry has undergone a transformation that extends beyond product innovation. Once defined largely by novelty, stigma and male-driven narratives, the industry has steadily evolved into a sophisticated, wellness-oriented sector shaped by education, inclusivity and consumer empowerment.

Ariana Rodriguez ·

Inside the Impact of New AV Laws on Sex Toy Ecommerce

Over the past few years, age verification (AV) has gone from a niche policy discussion to a very real, very immediate concern for anyone operating in the adult space.

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Julie Stewart on Leading Sportsheets While Honoring Its Family Roots

When Sportsheets founder Tom Stewart retired at the start of 2020, he left the company in the capable hands of his sister, Julie Stewart. Since taking over as CEO, she has guided Sportsheets through an era of transformation, resilience and renewed purpose.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
trends

Meet the New Class of Pleasure Purveyors Making Waves

The sexual wellness industry has always evolved in response to cultural shifts, but the current wave of up-and-coming pleasure brands signals something deeper than trend cycles or aesthetic refreshes. These founders aren’t just launching new products; they are reframing what intimacy means, who it is for and how it fits into everyday life. Across supplements, toys, aftercare and even divination decks, a new generation of brands is closing long-ignored gaps — between pleasure and wellness, fantasy and function, science and sensuality, individuality and shared experience.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
trends

Signals Ahead: Pleasure Brands Track the Rapid Convergence of Tech and Intimacy

As the pleasure industry enters 2026, many industry observers predict that the coming year will be shaped not by a single game-changing breakthrough or standout celebrity partnership, but rather by the slow, powerful alignment of consumer psychology, economic reality, cultural openness and shifting demographic needs.

Ariana Rodriguez ·

Glittering 2026 XBIZ Honors Celebrates Pleasure Industry

The 2026 XBIZ Honors, presented by Svakom and Kaotik Labs, lit up Avalon Hollywood on Sunday night, turning the iconic venue into a dazzling celebration of pleasure-industry excellence.

XBIZ Expo Day 2: Education, Dialogue, Community

The second day of XBIZ Expo continued the event’s focus on education, collaboration and industry insights, with a packed schedule that balanced business-driven discussions with innumerable opportunities to network.

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