Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
The pleasure industry’s focus on sex toys — especially given their increasing mainstream popularity — often overshadows the lingerie sector. Here, all consumers need to bring sensual fantasies to life is a human body and a little imagination. Stacey Monroe’s daily task at Coquette is putting that ethos into action and helping retailers find the perfect fit for their customers’ diverse needs and tastes.
My main objective is to create more opportunities for our company to become proactive in our communications to build stronger partnerships with our customer community.
Monroe heads up the American B2B team at Coquette as U.S. sales manager, a role that sounds like a dream job for any young woman who grew up on Victoria’s Secret catalogs. Before Coquette’s latest designs land on the retail floor, Monroe gets to try on the brand’s lacy numbers herself, as well as view each piece as it adorns a pro lingerie model.
She is proud of her key role in pushing for lingerie designs to include more sizes, shapes and color options. During her time at Coquette, the lingerie world has evolved immensely — possibly even more than the sex toy sector, Monroe speculates.
This month’s Women in Adult profile spotlights Monroe, and her positive contributions to the original adult sector that defined sexy.
XBIZ: What’s it like working in the lingerie industry as a woman today? It sounds like a young girl’s childhood dream.
Stacey Monroe: I have always been very interested in fashion and design. I remember sitting with my mom and sketching designs for both my prom and graduation dresses, going fabric shopping together and then watching in awe as she would bring my creations to life at the sewing machine.
Working at Coquette feels like a full-circle moment from those days. By the time our new collections are being launched, I have already had the incredible experience of participating in a fitting show, providing feedback to the design team and collaborating internally on what groupings to launch. Walking into the design room and sneaking a peek at what new fabrics and cuts are being worked on is always so much fun!
As a woman selling lingerie, I feel that a huge factor in building trust with customers has come from the fact that I am able to speak to the fit of each piece, as well as the specific design elements that our team thoughtfully includes to extend sizing, comfort and styling, from firsthand experience wearing the pieces.
XBIZ: What led you to work in the lingerie sector? Was this your first job in the adult products world?
Monroe: Honestly, it was all about timing. I had not worked in the adult products world before, but did have experience working in “sin” industries and would often even wait to get to know someone before I would disclose what I did for a living, to avoid judgment.
When I applied for the position at Coquette and met the team, I knew that this was a company that I wanted to be a part of. Beyond that, the role itself was one that sounded like a dream. Throughout my sales career I had experience selling software, cigarettes, biodiesel, animal feed and recycling services. I enjoyed working in all of those roles, but was beyond excited to see what I could do selling a product that I, myself was a consumer of and loved. They say if you love what you do, it won’t feel like work, and that’s the potential I saw in front of me with Coquette.
XBIZ: Tell us a bit about the current trends and consumer needs in the international lingerie world. What styles are consumers buying? What do people expect from today’s lingerie?
Monroe: I believe the biggest expectation is relatability, both with physical and digital representation. Consumers want to see themselves in a product while shopping and expect to see more gender-fluid designs, more inclusive sizing and colorways, and while companies may be designing products that check those boxes, the consumer needs to feel a further connection to the products through the imagery being shared.
Over the past few years, we have seen a shift from babydolls as our top-selling silhouette over to two and three-piece bra sets and teddies topping the list for lingerie. Specifically at Coquette, we have watched our customers really gravitate towards more convertible and adjustable styles, which provide added value with their versatility. Customers can feel better about investing in a piece that is not only for the bedroom, but can truly extend into everyday wear.
XBIZ: What work responsibilities comprise your average day at Coquette?
Monroe: In my role as U.S. sales manager, I work daily to support the sales team so that they can help customers to execute their goals and initiatives within the U.S. Overall, my main objective is to create more opportunities for our company to become proactive in our communications and approach to build stronger partnerships with our customer community. Day to day, I spend time in our system to assist with inquiries regarding orders and inventory, reporting on top-selling pieces and looking for emerging trends — and if I’m lucky enough, I get to sneak a peek or try on new designs for fit.
XBIZ: Have you had to deal with any major or unexpected changes in the lingerie world?
Monroe: During the pandemic, companies everywhere had to change how business was being done. As a Canadian company, we had the added hurdle of the border being closed between our team and our customers, which was quite challenging. We not only had to pivot how we presented product, but we had to change our own internal mindset that miles in the air and on the road were the only way to make connections with our customers. Even though most of us dreaded video calls, having everyone embrace that technology allowed us to connect with even more customers than we could have on the road.
XBIZ: What colors are most popular in lingerie design today? Do color preferences change depending on the style or size of lingerie a consumer is buying?
Monroe: I don’t think black will ever be unpopular in lingerie design. We consistently see a demand for pieces in black, and no matter how many times I hear a buyer tell me they want to buy more color, black sells. After that, traditional seasonal colorways are pretty much always a staple demand, but my favorites are always the trending Pantones that change year to year.
This year, we have seen a lot of stores pull in teal, raspberry and rose gold and have been receiving requests for more jewel tones.
XBIZ: How can retailers encourage consumers to buy more lingerie?
Monroe: In today’s market, most shoppers are starting their journey online by researching their purchases before stepping into stores, so building a strong customer experience that starts online and extends into the stores is key. Through product photography and laying out size and variants in a user-friendly format, it becomes easily accessible for customers to see what options are available. With apparel, added features like customer image reviews can elevate the experience for the shopper.
Customers still prefer to try on apparel, so when possible, offering a customer the opportunity to pick up product in-store or showing real-time inventory by location can really leverage conversions and remove barriers that create hesitation. For in-store shopping, creating a merchandising experience where product is tangible and the experience is enjoyable can greatly impact in-store conversion rates. Many lingerie pieces can benefit greatly from the use of body forms or hangers, making it easier for consumers to really “see” the items with a shape. With creative cross-merchandising, items can be up-sold with stockings, pasties, toys or accessories. Customers are always going to be looking for a personal experience and when brands, stores and staff members can find ways to provide experiences that provide that engagement, the sales will follow.
XBIZ: What other women in the pleasure industry do you find inspiring?
Monroe: In addition to the incredible team of women I get to work alongside daily at Coquette, I have been impacted by so many amazing women in this industry — but to name names, Erin Horea tops that list. Not only as a mentor, but as a friend. Although we do have a shared head office location and the perceived benefit of working closely together, our roles rarely have us in the same places at the same time, but that has never stopped her from going out of her way to help me understand the lingerie world from a purchasing perspective, being on the receiving end of so many of my calls/texts/emails just to test ideas, and helping me to feel connected with many others throughout the industry whom I may not have otherwise met on my own. Shout out to my fellow Cheesehead, Conde!
XBIZ: How are you hoping to continue to evolve your career in the lingerie world and with Coquette? What do you hope to accomplish in the next few years?
Monroe: I have been doing a lot of collaborative work internally to find ways to create more support and tools for our customers and am looking forward to having those things roll out this year. I’d like to help streamline some of our internal processes, expand our brand presence and try to find ways to bridge gaps to those milestones. In the lingerie world and industry overall, I have a few larger-scale projects I’d love to bring to life and I’m excited to see where it all goes.
