Ten years ago, anal play was seen as a niche within the pleasure industry, often hidden away or regarded as a novelty rather than a recognized part of sexual wellness. While many people were interested in exploring it, stigma, misinformation, and a lack of innovation kept it in the shadows. Now, that gap is starting to close. Research shows that anal intercourse is more common than before, with one U.S. study indicating that 36% of women and 44% of men aged 25 to 44 have tried heterosexual anal sex at some point.
While that number does not capture the full scope of anal stimulation, including toys for prostate play, rimming, pegging and external stimulation, it shows that anal pleasure has long been more mainstream than the sexual wellness industry has been willing to acknowledge. The next chapter for anal toys will be trust-based and education-led, with trends pointing the way for retailers and brands seeking to better understand the pleasures consumers are looking for.
Education Will Become a Core Product Feature
While all sexual wellness products benefit from expert-led education that adds credibility and guides consumers, anal toys require more education than many other categories. That is not a weakness. In fact, it is part of what can make the anal category more commercially powerful when done correctly. With vibrators like wands and bullets, questions may revolve around material or power. Consumers buying their first anal toys tend to ask a different set of questions related to safety, what size to start with, how much lube to use, the importance of a flared base, whether a toy is designed only for people with prostates and what it means to be curious about anal play.
Though these questions may add friction at the point of purchase, they also present brands and retailers with an opportunity to build lasting trust. When education is strong, consumers feel less intimidated and more confident exploring. In turn, that can increase willingness to purchase and create a more positive experience, making shoppers more likely to return. That is why, despite all the exciting innovations in the category, the future of anal toys cannot be won through product specs alone.
App-Controlled and Connected Devices Will Grow More Sophisticated
The next wave of high-tech anal toys will go beyond simply adding a remote to a product. Partnered users are likely to see more development in long-distance features, synced play and power-exchange play. Solo users may come to value custom patterns that help them ease into a sensation, as well as biometric sensors that let them remember what they found arousing in previous sessions.
As app-connected products become more common, users will also expect intuitive controls, stronger security updates, and clear privacy practices. The bar is rising, and the next generation of app-connected anal toys will need to be developed with both pleasure and digital trust in mind.
Innovations in Sensation and Size Will Begin to Dominate
Beginner kits with multiple sizes have long been considered the signature starter kit for anal play. As the category evolves, however, more consumers find that framework limiting. The next wave of anal toys will likely acknowledge intermediate and advanced users with size- and anatomy-inclusive options and design. Customizable weights, textures and stimulation modes can help meet consumers where they are.
Sensation innovation will also play a central role because anal play is more than penetration or a feeling of fullness. The anus is packed with sensitive nerve endings, and external or entrance-focused stimulation can be incredibly pleasurable. It can also serve as an accessible starting point or an alternative for people who do not enjoy deep penetration, which is why anal outercourse is likely to gain more attention.
Prostate stimulation, perineal stimulation, vibration, rotation, pulsing, weight and texture all create distinct sensations. Not everyone wants the same thing from anal pleasure or has the same goal. Just as clitoral suction toys reshaped their category, these products may continue to grow as consumers seek more varied forms of stimulation. Along with greater attention to the entrance of the anus and perineum, the market may also see more products designed for warm-up and relaxation, rather than focusing only on climax.
Wellness Framing Will Support Mainstream Acceptance
Anal play is moving from taboo toward more mainstream conversations, framed by body awareness, prostate and pelvic health, and communication. This expands the anal category beyond limiting or fantasy-driven marketing and makes room for shoppers who are curious but unsure where to start. Pleasure products should still feel sexy and pleasurable, but wellness-based language can help normalize the category rather than sensationalize it.
For retailers, that shift can make conversations about anal toys more approachable and less intimidating. It also helps move the discussion away from outdated assumptions about gender, sexuality and who anal pleasure is for. As pleasure products appear more often in beauty spaces, pharmacies and lifestyle retailers, inclusive, mainstream-friendly messaging will need to keep pace, along with greater clinical endorsement and partnerships with sex therapists and educators.
As the industry transitions into mainstream wellness, retailers and brands may also adopt more subscription- and ritual-based models, mirroring shifts in the beauty industry. More customers are incorporating toys into routines focused on stress relief and self-care. Anal play naturally fits into this shift because it often involves preparation, communication, relaxation and aftercare, all of which are already ritualistic.
That could mean more curated anal wellness kits, with toys sold alongside anal lube, aftercare items, cleaning wipes, smart warm-up trainers, sensation-sampler attachments, or texture sleeves. Subscription-style educational content or erotica may also complement pleasure sessions and help consumers continue learning after the initial purchase.
Anal Toys Are Entering a New Era
The future of anal toys will be defined not by shock value but by thoughtful innovation shaped by consumer needs, trust and education. As stigma around anal play continues to fade, consumers will expect products that are inclusive, smarter and more aligned with their individual pleasure goals, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Anal play has always been more mainstream than the industry has been willing to admit, and the next chapter will be about meeting that curiosity with the care and creativity it deserves.
A certified sex educator, sexuality coach and founder of b-Vibe, Le Wand and The Cowgirl brands, Alicia Sinclair is on a mission to make pleasure education more accessible, stigma-free and actually useful.
