A woman stands at your counter. She dabs a drop of something clear and nearly odorless on her wrist, brings it to her nose and something in her posture changes before she even leaves the store. A few feet away, a man turns a small bottle over in his hand, reading the label twice and wondering whether it might help him feel noticed again by a longtime partner.
\n \n \nIf you have been following this series, you know I have been climbing a ladder. First, I asked an AI model to do a task. Then I got tired of explaining the task every time, so I wrote a skill, a reusable set of instructions, and put it in a project folder with everything the task needed.
\n \n \nWhen sales slow, retailers understandably start looking for ways to tighten the budget. Every expense gets another look, and travel and trade show attendance can quickly end up on the list of things to cut.
\n \n \nFor too long, accessibility in adult retail has been treated as a side conversation. When it appears at all, it is often tucked away in a hard-to-find website category, framed as a special accommodation or treated as a medical add-on rather than a legitimate pleasure category. That approach misses the point.
\n \n \nWith rising manufacturing costs and living expenses, manufacturers’ suggested retail price (MSRP) no longer aligns with the actual costs of operating a business. This situation calls for a discussion about the current industry pricing landscape, potential adjustments, and how companies can make an impact.
\n \n \nFor much of her decades-long career in the adult products industry, Cee Cee Peters let her work speak louder than her name. While she built relationships with retailers, became a top salesperson, and watched the business evolve from a movie-dominated marketplace into today’s sexual wellness industry, Peters deliberately kept a relatively low public profile. Raising children during the rise of the internet made that decision especially important to her.
\n \n \nStepping through the front doors of CC Wellness’ 215,000-square-foot headquarters, you first encounter the lubricant manufacturer’s comprehensive process in the company’s wall of plaques, which celebrate more than 25 formulas that have received FDA 510(k) clearances for medical devices.
\n \n \nFor 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.
\n \n \nThe 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.
\n \n \nLatin America's Spanish-speaking markets represent an exciting growth opportunity for the pleasure products industry. Across the region, conversations about sexual wellness are becoming more open, specialty retailers are expanding their assortments and shoppers are seeking products that reflect their lifestyles and values.
\n \n \nAdult 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.
\n \n \nAfter 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.
\n \n \nSomewhere in one of our stores, someone scanned a barcode into a quantity field. The number entered was 8,388,607. At $19.99 per unit, that made a single line item worth roughly $167 million. The number was so large that the import failed immediately.
\n \n \nEvery 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?
\n \n \nChelsea 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.
\n \n \nIronically, 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.
\n \n \nSuzy 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.
\n \n \nRelationship 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.
\n \n \nOne 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.
\n \n \nThis 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.
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