At the start of 2012, David Yu began researching the sex toy industry only to find what he felt were lots of items lacking in quality, yet ironically so high-priced as to wholly ruin a consumer’s mood. To Yu’s way of thinking, the market was thirsty for something new, original and priced right. So he took it upon himself to change the sex toy game, founding Svakom in the U.S. later that same year.
In celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Svakom reflects on how the company's past work and vision got the company to this point, as well as how it will influence its future.
This year, we aim to give our customers something exciting to get involved with.
"We overcame lots of challenges and obstacles and are so very proud of what we have achieved so far," Fanny Chen, Svakom’s head of sales, acknowledges. "The mix between advanced technology and elegant designs has always and continues to signify one of the brand’s trademarks, and Svakom’s sole wish is to keep lighting up more lives with unforgettable pleasure — one orgasm at a time."
Svakom began by developing that technology to effectively change the "game" of masturbation. With its product development team, the company created ever-new and inventive ways to interact with sex toys. The company’s Ella Neo is a good example of its technology-driven products, featuring not only app control but interactivity between long-distance users. The company has won several accolades over the years, including the 2020 XBIZ Award for Innovative Sex Toy of the Year.
Svakom’s 200 employees are headquartered in Shenzhen, China, as well as in Los Angeles, Miami and Amsterdam. The company continues to manufacture all of its products in its own factory, embodying its stated values of “care, elegance, fashion and intelligence” and ensuring that its products are always in demand.
Manufacturing in-house also allows companies to battle supply chain shortages, which the industry has seen worldwide this past year especially.
"Developing our own global operation — teams and warehouses set up in the U.S., and teams set up in Europe — we have set a standard to ‘be in the market for the market’ with retailers truly feeling Svakom is there for them," Chen offers.
Just as the pandemic has affected all kinds of businesses, it has also affected Svakom in some ways, with supply chain worries being just the least of it. Yet even though the past two years have been a harrowing roller coaster ride for many, Chen says Svakom enjoyed consistently healthy sales numbers, since "during lockdown, who wasn’t masturbating a bit more than usual?" It only seems logical, she continues, that "faced with isolation and a desire for a more realistic touch, people were craving a product that would really get their rocks off."
As 2022 rolls forward and we hopefully all see the return of some sort of "normalcy" — however we presently define that word — Svakom’s innovations will continue to provide consumers with ever-richer technological possibilities. "People are hungry for new ways to experience pleasure, craving it even," Chen says. "Already there have been some unique and innovative approaches to incorporating VR into the world of sex toys and completely new experiences from what’s currently on the market."
Even in the ever-popular realm of suction-based toys, an area where all adult toymakers have seen a rise in interest over these past few years, Chen opines that "eventually people will want more than just the base version, something with technology to provide a completely new experience from what’s currently on the market."
Svakom’s innovations have helped the company thrive in the past decade. Chen acknowledges that "the classics are great," but notes that taking a venerable sex toy and adding a little bit of creativity to produce something entirely new is what is most exciting to Svakom.
Chen also notes that the company has expanded focus over the past decade to bolster the brand.
"We started as a company focusing primarily on vagina-oriented products, but over the past 10 years, we have learned a lot about people, body types, gender and identity. We have been learning alongside the rest of the world and worked tirelessly to create products that everyone can feel comfortable with."
In addition to new product launches, interactive campaigns, using recycled packing materials and committing to a solid system to reduce carbon emissions and minimize waste, Svakom also maintains its deep-dive commitments to several charities and causes. This year alone, products featuring a “Trees for the Future” sticker will be part of the company’s "One Product, One Tree" promotion, with each purchase of those specific toys going towards Svakom donating a tree to the Trees for the Future foundation.
Taking stock of its 10-year milestone, what are the company goals for 2022 and beyond?
"This year, we aim to give our customers something exciting to get involved with, to invite them to celebrate with us,” Chen said. “We have created a campaign that will liven up the world and bring a bit of magic to our lives. We’re also planning to release a limitededition box containing a plethora of goodies for our most loyal customers; it’s going to have limited amounts of stock, so people need to get theirs fast. There may even be a chance to win something spectacular."
Chen also teases, "We’ll be unleashing a new product category that we’re certain will be a people pleaser, with plenty of technology infused within to enhance pleasure like never before.”
