When most of the adult industry in the U.S. had to suspend operations back in March due to mandated closures because of COVID-19, industry professionals didn’t let that keep them down for very long.
Social media became not only a means of keeping connected with family and friends, but a way for industry professionals — many who were used to being on the road for weeks at a time — to keep connected.
Jackie Blue of NiteCap Megastore in Staten Island, New York started a fun group called Jackie Blue’s No Pants Party as a means for people to get together virtually on Friday nights.
“Nitecap Megastore may have closed the doors due to COVID-19, but I know how important humor and intimacy is to our health,” says Blue about the origin of the group, which is ‘all-inclusive.’ Both industry pros and non-professionals can visit during the week and share jokes, memes, and just cut loose, and on Friday night, participate in a virtual game night.
Armed with games donated from Kheper Games, and prizes from her own stash, Blue’s weekly Friday night party became a great place for people to forget their cares for an hour each week. And very quickly, vendors joined in on the fun, offering to sponsor a week in the group with educational but fun content about their products, a mid-week live product discussion, and a donated prize for the game night winner.
Around the same time, industry veteran Paul Reutershan started a group called Pleasure Professionals Place — or P3 for short — on Facebook, with the intention of allowing people in the industry to stay connected and support each other. In just over a month, the group has grown to over 1,350 members, and while the purpose of keeping connected remains the group’s core value, it has evolved to reflect the dawning of a new age in adult. Industry professionals from all over the globe are connecting within the group, sharing memories, offering each other encouragement, and yes – talking shop. The group doesn’t allow for advertising of products or services, but educational content is not only welcome but encouraged.
“Industry leaders need to grab a hold of using social media to engage customers,” Reutershan said. “We’ve seen manufacturers, retailers, home parties and ecommerce get out of their comfort zone to produce training and educational videos. Many are going ‘live’ to provide an extra level of interaction with clients.”
Along with being the founder of the group, Reutershan also is one of its moderators — the other being Steve Sav, another well-known industry veteran. “This is the new normal. Virtual ‘visits,’ meetings and product presentation via Zoom, Google hangouts, etc., are being embraced as travel is currently on hold. Everyone is adapting and the creativity is wonderful to see.”
Another fantastic group is SPAM — Sex Professionals and Manufacturers. Founded by Megan Swartz of Déjà Vu Love Boutique in Las Vegas, SPAM is a group meant for retail professionals and manufacturers to connect.
“I initially wanted to invite manufacturers into our private employee group to provide training material to them but I thought it would be more beneficial if I created a larger group so more businesses could get the information as well,” says Swartz about the origins of the group. “As of right now I think it has been a nice place for ideas to be passed around and whatnot, but I believe in the coming months when manufacturers have new items coming out, it will be much more beneficial to everyone.”
With COVID still restricting travel in many states, this is a great place for vendors to connect with retail associates and provide training, answer questions about products, and bring together two sides of the industry that don’t always get to connect. Availability of in-store trainings pre-COVID depended on a host of factors: vendor and store schedules, travel plans and routes, and took time and a lot of planning. Now vendors are adapting to and adopting virtual platforms, planning Zoom meetings or using Google Meet or Google Hangouts for training sessions, and taking to social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. It’s effectively shrunk the adult world and opened it up at the same time.
While COVID-19 is still an ongoing concern, the world keeps turning and the steady demand for adult pleasure products from consumers means that adapting new strategies is crucial.
We are living in an increasingly virtual world, so it makes sense that the adult industry takes the opportunity to utilize the tools available, and not only adapt to them, but adopt them as part of the new normal. It’s the next step in our industry, and embracing new methods of connecting — beginning with social media and other means of keeping in touch virtually with distributors, vendors, customers and consumers — will not only enable us to survive, but can be a means to ultimately flourish.
Fresh from the front lines of adult retail, Rachel McCarthy is now a sales specialist with Williams Trading Co. She is a strong supporter of sex-ed, sexual health and wellness, and open discourse on all things related to sex.
