The internet has become one of the most accessible and necessary tools for navigating the technologically enhanced world we live in. It has become vital to the sex toy industry which has been killing the game for over the past two decades with the growing curiosity of consumers and their relationship with pleasure for themselves and with their partners. An episode from “Sex and the City” reminded me of how crucial brick-and-mortar sex shops were to those looking to dive deeper into their sexuality and intimacy when the internet was new and shopping online wasn’t quite a thing yet.
In those same two decades, however, many consumers have turned to the internet for most of their shopping needs — which begs the question: How can retailers continue to survive in a technological world, and what improvements can be made to sustain them as the sexual wellness ecommerce market continues to steadily rise?
Brick-and-mortars that rely solely on foot traffic are missing out on the opportunity to capitalize on the supply and demand that the ecommerce market has to offer.
Online Presence
Having an online presence as a brick-and-mortar allows them to create a unique voice for themselves that helps to stand out from competitors and attract new and repeat customers alike. Moreover, a store's online presence shouldn’t be done for the end goal of making in-store sales but creating a line of communication, a sense of community, and technical support. Building a loyal fan-base around your store will have customers talking about you on and offline.
We are living in the age of the informed consumer. Many turn to the internet for information on products and sex education. Creating informational content on social media in addition to Q&As, where consumers can ask questions on a range of your chosen topics, allows them to engage with you where you can also use the analytics from those same social media outlets to see what people are interested in the most. Use this information to learn what to post and when.
“In-store only” promotions can significantly generate foot traffic. Coupled with social media marketing, you can create campaigns around holidays or topics in sex education like Anal August for example, where the focus is on the introduction and education of anal sex and butt play with the help of sex toys like butt plugs, lubricants and the importance of prepping for anal sex. Use your platform to talk about social issues and factors that have an effect on sexual health, such as mental illness.
Variety Is the Spice of Life
As a person who frequents sex toy shops in my city, I notice one thing in common that many of them share. They have the same selection of sex toys all year-round. It literally looks like a time capsule featuring the greatest hits of decades past with vibrators and dildos that have been on the shelves for so long that they appear to be on their last leg. Or wand massagers that have been sitting as a demo for so long, that their motors sound more like a truck engine which could deter even the bravest of hearts from being enticed enough to put it anywhere near their bodies.
Customers who walk into sex shops depend on testers to determine the likelihood that a product will work for them or their partner. Some customers bypass ecommerce purposely to come into brick-and-mortar shops to get an accurate impression of a sex toy, its vibrations and size, to avoid making the mistake of purchasing something too big, too small, too powerful, or not powerful enough. Customers also take physical testers for what they are, as I like the call it — WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). A customer might be turned off by old-looking/sounding sex toys assuming if they buy it, that it will look and sound exactly like the tester on display. If it’s a couple years old, looks old, sounds old, and feels old, consider retiring it.
Its understandable why some sexual wellness shops choose not to take on the risk of investing in new physical stock. The greatest hits are out on the sales floor because they bring in the sales. However, lack of variety limits consumers’ access to the latest and greatest that the sex toy industry has to offer. Those customers are less likely to come in and explore the sales if every time they come in, they see the same items. I would advise storeowners to take a look at product trends in the industry to see what’s generating the most buzz on the internet and get demos into their stores. Bring the curiosity out in your customers with new innovations that deliver new sensations.
Gone are the days of excitement that “girly” colors like pink and purple spark in consumers. No one should be reduced to only pink and purple color options for their sex toys. Stocking sex toys with unique and new colors draws the customer in and piques curiosity.
Brick, Click and Fulfillment
The term “brick and click” refers to the integration of brick-and-mortar stores and their ecommerce sites, giving their customers the option to buy products online and pick them up in-store. This is an excellent choice for customers who discovered your store online and would like to get their hands on products right away. Customers that know what they want but don’t want to wait for delivery can pick up their items in-store at the register without having to walk through the store to find it. If you have more than one physical location, this tool can be integrated with your in-store stock, so customers know if the item they want is available and at which store location. It secures sales on the spot.
Brick-and-mortars that rely solely on foot traffic are missing out on the opportunity to capitalize on the supply and demand that the ecommerce market has to offer. They have a unique advantage when it comes to this, as they don’t have to go through a middleman to ship products to customers. The physical stock is already in-store and orders can be fulfilled and shipped in-house with the simple addition of packing supplies. Additionally, this could be quite useful for selling overstock or stock that simply isn’t selling by coupling these items with a discount as an incentive to entice customers to give those products a try.
Be sure to keep your website up-to-date and test the usability of your site often. Users are less likely to order from a site that either doesn’t look like it's been updated in a while or is hard to navigate. If you don’t already have one, implement a search navigation tool so customers can find exactly what they're looking for, making sure it is optimized to produce the most relevant search results possible based on what the user types into it. If users are typing a product name word for word and your engine doesn’t produce the proper results, a potential customer might make the assumption that you don’t carry the item.
In-Store Marketing
Sex toys are versatile and shape-shifting all on their own with the help of some imagination. For the most part, customers already have their pleasure routine down pat. If they come in looking for something similar to what they already have, introduce them to a new item that delivers different sensations. For example, if your customer comes in looking for a vibrator, introduce them to a suction toy. Educate them on dual stimulation by pairing two separate toys together like a vibrator and a butt plug. Introduce vibrators that are usually marketed towards women to men and talk about the benefits of introducing vibrations into their pleasure routine. You can also pair these items with arousal gels, warming, cooling and tingling lubricants that can arouse the senses and potentially intensify pleasure.
The Takeaway
Brick-and-mortar sexual wellness shops are beneficial to consumers and the communities they reside in. They providing customers with a safe space to shop free of judgment and shame from the outside world. I personally believe that the sexual wellness industry continues to thrive despite the Retail Apocalypse because it’s a niche market that is continuously growing and everchanging.
Tiffy Kink is a sexual wellness blogger and sex toy reviewer at AquaKink.com.
