“Single women buying the nipple vibrators have already started to stand out,” Ikoma said. “There are two different types of vibrators available: one that attaches to the nipples through suction and the other that is fastened using alligator clips. The alligator clip model is particularly popular.”
U.S. retailers are also seeing a surge in nipple-vibe sales. Katy Zloverin of Adam & Eve said when she first started in the business 12 years ago, the products only occasionally made it into catalogs.
“Now there are a bunch of different kinds with all sorts of bells and whistles, so I would definitely say they’ve become more popular,” Zloverin said.
She attributes customers’ preference for clamps over suction cups to the “certain S&M feel” of the clamps.