The number of choices that shoppers have today is astounding. Not only is there an enormous variety of product categories and styles to browse through, but mainstream retailers seem to be expanding their online “pleasure” sections every quarter. Some believe that the pleasure products industry can benefit from being exposed to shoppers who might never enter an adult store or site, while others are understandably concerned about counterfeiting, design dupes and the impact of “fast fashion”-style manufacturing on sex toys.
Shoppers in the “civilian” world don’t know what it takes to design, build, market and sell a pleasure product that won’t cause injury, break or malfunction right out of the box, or lead to an unpleasant or even harmful experience. Understandably so! When shopping, consumers are often focused on two core selling points: price and convenience/discretion. It makes sense why they might buy a $9 vibrator from that familiar online megastore, but I wonder if they’d make the same choice if they truly knew what they were buying.
The service your associates will be able to provide will pay off in customer loyalty, referrals and overall brand recognition for your establishment.
This is one of the topics that adult retail staff should be trained to speak about confidently. It’s common for consumers to visit an adult store to browse and price-check before looking for a product online that looks similar to what they saw on shelves. I believe we can disrupt this pattern by alerting shoppers to the risks of buying sex toys from “fast fashion” and massive ecommerce platforms.
You already know why it’s important for your staff to be able to effectively share the features, benefits and unique selling points of products, but in today’s retail environment it is also vitally important that they can help combat the influence and temptation of mega ecommerce, by communicating the value of buying from a known brand and store. Here are some key points for shoppers to consider:
Zero Quality Control: Anyone can put a motor in a plastic or silicone shell shaped like a flower, but not all blooms are created equal. Prices get slashed considerably by cutting corners and eliminating quality control, which means there is no oversight of the cleaning, manufacturing and packaging processes, and certainly no testing before products are shipped out. Who knows what you’re really going to get?
Questionable Materials: Discount toys are often made with subpar materials that reputable manufacturers — especially those that own and operate their own factories — would never use. These materials are often smelly and sticky with an oily residue. They can melt simply by coming in contact with oils or plastics, and in many cases, they can cause skin irritation. These are materials that no one should want in or around their mouth, anus or genitals.
Malfunctioning Motors: Not only are the motors in these megacheap products likely weak, indiscreetly loud and unpleasantly buzzy, but the likelihood that they are potentially defective is high. This means that they may not power on or charge correctly, can break quickly, may overheat and, in some cases, can be actual fire hazards. We’ll never forget those counterfeit wand massagers that burst into flames a few years ago, and I suspect the shoppers who purchased them won’t either.
Short Lifespans: These kinds of products often die quickly and spend far more time in a landfill than they ever spent bringing anyone pleasure. Unlike quality products that come with warranties, these cheap items need to be replaced over and over again, which is bad for the wallet and the environment.
Unethical Shopping: As is unfortunately the case in many industries, buying ultra-discount sex toys from mega-ecommerce sites helps support exploitative working conditions. Workers are underpaid and required to work in unsafe, even inhumane environments, and shoppers don’t always know the truth about these factories.
Shopping Without Support: There’s no real customer service or even return policies on these ecommerce platforms, which means shoppers can’t get help sifting through the sea of products and will likely end up with something that doesn’t work for them, or at best will be “good enough” until it breaks.
Disappointment All Around: Many shoppers are exposed to sex toys when they go viral on social media, and they understandably assume the hype must mean it’s exactly what they need. But TikTok influencers aren’t customer service reps! All too often, shoppers will receive a product that appeared universally mind-blowing but actually is made for people with a certain anatomy or shape, or for a particular kind of simulation. The product was never right for the shopper to begin with, but they don’t know that, so they’re likely to blame their own body or mind for the product’s failure and potentially never shop for another sex toy again.
Taking Advantage of Trainings
When it comes to providing your employees with quality training that effectively combats the impact of the mega ecommerce deep-discount market, one of the best resources available may be the manufacturers you already work with.
The ongoing trainings they provide not only give your employees the most reliable information, but they can also help you provide customers with a shopping experience that could never be replicated in a major ecommerce store. When you invest in and dedicate time to supporting your staff in this way, the results will be noticeable, and not just in the sales numbers. Preparing your associates to provide higher-quality service will pay off in customer loyalty, referrals and overall brand recognition for your establishment. That is our industry’s most valuable weapon in the battle against deep-discount, off-brand sex toy sellers.
Verna Meng is the co-founder and CEO of Blush, and the recipient of the 2018 International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation Award.
