Feature Articles
How Awareness Revolutionized Materials Used in Pleasure Products
Today’s manufacturers and consumers are material-savvy, giving rise to pleasure products that are safe to use, beautiful to look at, high-quality and even environmentally responsible.
How Sex-Ed Lays the Groundwork for Well-Informed Shopping
We often do some research before making purchases, whether by delving into a company’s background, exploring specific products or simply making sure we understand how to use something before we buy it.
A Look at How Customer Demographics of Full-Size Sex Dolls Have Evolved
For a long time, sex dolls were dismissed as cheap novelties used by lonely heterosexual men. This was especially true of early, inflatable versions, which became the butt of jokes in pop culture. However, things have changed dramatically.
Why Getting Back to In-Person Events Is Imperative for Pleasure Biz
Even before COVID-19, consumers were already increasingly shopping online. During the pandemic, that trend naturally skyrocketed, and many of us store owners and suppliers became accustomed to leaning back and managing nearly all of our business from behind a screen.
What Pleasure Brands Need to Know About Celebrity Endorsements
The right celebrity endorsement could skyrocket your brand into profitable relevance. The wrong one could send your brand crashing down into obscurity. While the allure of celebrity endorsements is obvious, less obvious are the risks that come with handing over the responsibility for your brand’s reputation to a third party.
Selling Tactile Stimulation With Textured Toys
Tactile stimulation plays a pivotal role in elevating intimate encounters. As consumers recognize and explore the link between diverse, expansive sensory engagement and enhanced pleasure, we are seeing a shift toward products that go beyond basic functionality.
How Mainstream Can Show Respect in Its Appropriation of Fetish Wear
Once upon a time, fetish wear was strictly confined to kink communities and subcultures. However, it has now made its way onto the catwalk and even mainstream Instagram and TikTok. This visibility of fetish clothing raises important questions about respect for its origins and the cultural significance of fetish wear.
How to Leverage Social Media to Increase Retail Foot Traffic, Sales
These days it can feel like everybody is interacting on a screen of some kind, with less IRL engagement than ever. This can be especially frustrating for brick-and-mortar business owners, because while social media followers are great, you need in-person foot traffic to keep your business going.
How to Master Online Training for Retail
Imagine you’re in a retail store. You want to make a purchase but aren’t sure which product to choose. As your eyes scan the shelves, different thoughts cross your mind: “This one has the most attractive packaging.” “But I’ve heard good things about the brand that makes that one.”
A Look at Products for Role-Play, Affirmation
Gender affirmation and sexual role-play may not seem like topics that go hand in hand, but role-play can be a powerful tool for experiencing, exploring and expressing gender — or no gender at all.
Combining Pleasure Biz Marketing Tactics Into a Strategy for Growth
"New year, new you” isn’t just a personal mantra. It’s a game changer for businesses too. With the holiday season behind us, now is the perfect moment to dust away the cobwebs of lingering routine, toss out the empty coffee cups and gather ’round for a digital marketing powwow.
The Mainstreaming of Pleasure Products: Boom or Doom?
Not all that long ago, the idea that you might pick up a sex toy at the same drugstore or big box store where you do the rest of your shopping seemed unlikely at best. But today, with attitudes toward sexual wellness shifting, our category has hit the mainstream.
A Look at the Media's Rejection of Female-Focused Sexuality Brands
Brand visibility is essential for growth. Unfortunately for brands in the sexual wellness industry, the platforms they need to create that visibility are actively working against them.
How to Humanize Your Brand to Forge Genuine Customer Connections
Amidst the cacophony of the digital age, as countless brands vie for attention, ensuring your brand or store’s survival and success means crafting a narrative that customers can identify with, one that imbues your brand with life and personality.
How Product Packaging Shapes Retail Success
If you’ve been in a sex shop lately, or even a pharmacy, it’s clear that the pleasure products industry is booming. There are more products out there than ever before. For manufacturers, this means crowded shelves — and competing for shoppers’ attention.
What Pleasure Brands Can Learn From Gen Z's Approach to Sex
The most shocking thing I’ve read about sex recently was in the autobiography of the late Matthew Perry, where the “Friends” star cheerfully admitted there was a time in his life when his penis didn’t work for many years.
A Look at the Ever-Expanding World of Anal Toys
Did you know that some of the oldest pieces of art on earth depict anal sex? It’s true! While this may surprise a lot of people, for those of us in adult retail, it confirms something we already suspected: people have always been curious about putting things in their butts.
Learning the Science and Art of Marketing in a Regulated Industry
Sectors governed by strict regulations face unique challenges when it comes to marketing. Success for sexual wellness brands therefore requires innovation, adaptability and strategic thinking.
How Retailers Can Stand Out With Digital Signage
In the digital age, every pixel counts. That’s especially true in adult retail marketing. If you’re not leveraging every possible tool to your advantage, you’re tossing money out the window. One particular tool, digital signage, can serve as silent salesperson, inventory mover — and revenue rocket!
Laying the Groundwork for PR Success in the Sexual Wellness World
In the sexual wellness industry, everything is personal. If your customers don’t know who you are and why they should trust you, they won’t show up. Effective PR can help you establish that kind of relationship with your target audience.