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A Look at the Growing Market for Pleasure-Enhancing Consumables

For decades, the sexual enhancement aisle consisted mainly of pills promising stamina, with bottles and blister packs leaning heavily into themes of masculinity, urgency and performance. The sales pitch was rarely subtle: Take this, and something bigger, harder, longer or more intense would follow.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
opinion

5 Ways Pleasure Brands Can Maintain Social Media Visibility Beyond the Algorithm

The most difficult part of managing social media for pleasure brands is my archnemesis: the algorithm. I am sure most people who work in sexual wellness would agree. We are constantly navigating reduced reach, content removal and, in some cases, account bans. That can make connecting with customers feel impossible, but it is not.

Taylor Maness ·
profile

Verifymy's Emma Robert-Tissot on Putting People at the Heart of Online Safety

Warm, friendly and always happy to help, Emma Robert-Tissot has a gift for making even the most complex corners of online safety feel approachable.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

How Sexual Wellness Brands Can Use Emotional Marketing to Build Loyalty

Adult businesses have never had access to every marketing tool available to mainstream brands. Platform rules, advertising restrictions and content policies can limit the options for sex toy manufacturers and retailers. Add a difficult economy and more cautious consumers, and relying on tactics that worked a few years ago may no longer be enough.

Kate Kozlova ·
profile

WIA: Kristin Zuri-Godskind Draws on Deep Expertise to Elevate Sportsheets

After 18 years in the pleasure products industry, Kristin Zuri-Godskind has experienced the business from nearly every angle. Her career has taken her through retail, merchandising, management, distribution, sales, product education and manufacturing, giving her a perspective shaped as much by the sales floor as by the relationships she has built along the way.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
trends

Why Adult Retailers Need Better Training on Disability, Chronic Health

Every customer who walks into an adult store brings a different body, comfort level and set of needs. Retail staff already know how to ask the basics: Do you prefer vibration or suction? Are you using water-based or silicone lubricant? Do you have a latex allergy? What size are you comfortable with?

Mersy Love ·
profile

Anastasia's Bedroom Founder Chelsea Mani Bridges Ecommerce With Local Events

Chelsea Mani spends her weekends at local markets, where she displays an assortment of lingerie ranging from new lace bodysuits and silky robes to carefully sourced, cleaned and pressed vintage pieces. Passersby stop to examine the fabrics, ask questions and sometimes find themselves opening up unexpectedly.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

Staying Power: Justin Ross on Two Decades of Building Screaming O

Ironically, it was a single-use, disposable vibrating ring that became the foundation of The Screaming O, transforming a basic foil pouch into the launchpad for a pleasure-product brand that has endured for over two decades.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
profile

WIA: Nasstoys' Suzy Contreras Drives Sales With Personal Connection

Suzy Contreras' journey into the pleasure products industry has been steady and carefully cultivated. Across departments, accounts and nurtured relationships, Contreras has demonstrated commitment and passion at each step.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
profile

Hannah Tyer Reveals the Inspiration Behind 'Touch Therapy' Couples Card Game

Relationship therapist Hannah Tyer believes there's a better way to get to the heart and soul of your sexual differences, and she's crafted a deck of cards to show couples the way.

Colleen Godin ·
opinion

Retailer Strategies for Engaging Mature Shoppers

One of the biggest opportunities in adult retail isn’t chasing the next trend. It’s recognizing the customers who are already walking through your door and making sure they feel they belong there.

Rin Musick ·
opinion

Why Strong Kink Sales Start With Education and Support

This topic might make some people uncomfortable: the kink industry has a predator problem, and it is not the one most people assume. It is not creeping in the shadows of underground dungeons or sketchy playrooms, but instead is out in the open, on your timeline, in your inbox, and within platforms and brands that have figured out that the BDSM aesthetics and lifestyle sell really well. The issue is that there is no education that follows it.

Mistress Marley ·
opinion

Tips for Giving Retail Software the Context to Make Smarter Decisions

A little while back, one of our stores needed to restock a bullet, a dependable counter seller. The manager ordered six. We received 12 fishbowls, not six bullets. Twelve fishbowls.

Zondre Watson ·
opinion

Backdoor Breakthroughs: Exploring the Latest Trends in Anal Toys

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.

Alicia Sinclair ·
profile

Staci Cruse Builds on Pleasure Industry Experience to Guide Blush Sales

After 15 years in the pleasure industry, Staci Cruse has become skilled at distinguishing brands that merely talk about partnership from those that truly embed it into their operations.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

How Industry Professionals Can Normalize Sexual Wellness Through Everyday Dialogue

Every day, store owners, managers and sales associates help customers navigate products, answer questions, solve problems and find solutions that support intimacy, pleasure, confidence and overall sexual wellness.

Rin Musick ·
opinion

How Retail Merchandising Can Make BDSM More Accessible

For years, fetish and BDSM products have occupied a complicated space in adult retail. They are often highly recognizable, visually compelling and culturally fascinating, yet easy for retailers and brands to underestimate.

Hail Groo ·
opinion

How Educator Partnerships Help Retailers Serve Diverse Customer Needs

Walk into almost any adult store today, and you can feel the industry in the middle of an upgrade. On one side, you still see the familiar wall of vibrators, strokers, bondage gear and lingerie. On the other, quietly expanding, is a growing sexual wellness category.

Susan Bratton ·
opinion

Why AI Success in Adult Retail Starts With Understanding Daily Operations

We manage payroll across more than a dozen entities that operate on different schedules. Every pay period, someone had to log in to one portal, download reports, rename files, upload them to another system, and make sure everything matched correctly in QuickBooks.

Zondre Watson ·
opinion

Retailer Tips for Creating a More Size-Inclusive Lingerie Department

I enjoy watching someone leave a fitting room feeling confident and standing a little taller. Their shoulders are squared, there’s a spark in their eyes and they see themselves in a new light. That moment also presents one of the simplest sales opportunities on the sales floor.

Alexandra Bouchard ·
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