“How do we spice things up in the bedroom?” is one of the most common questions echoed throughout sex shops, online communities and blogs, and couples therapy couches around the world. Further compounding the situation today is the way consumers have navigated — and will continue to navigate — life, love and sex throughout a pandemic.
A number of adult retailers have noted a surge in retail and online sales since the start of reopening, despite much of the U.S. lingering in a new era of social distancing and record-high unemployment rates.
Yes, electro play is very popular with BDSM communities and it can be used for pain, but it can also be used for a lot of pleasure.
From a practical perspective, bolstered revenue for retailers may be attributed to domestic partners having more time to have sex while following stay-at-home orders. From a psychological perspective, humans may be seeking deeper levels of intimacy as a way of coping during crisis. Sex may simply be a distraction from everything happening around us, and/or an avenue to receive physical contact that has been virtually nonexistent in the days of COVID.
In any case, this presents novelty retailers with an opportunity to lead, educate and captivate sexual health and wellness consumers by sparking creative ways to explore physical connection.
How do you assist a customer who feels that their vibrator collection isn’t cutting it anymore? What suggestions might you give to a kinky couple when a paddle doesn’t sting like it used to?
Enter erotic electrostimulation
Also known as electro sex or e-stim, the electrostimulation niche is on the rise as a new option for couples in the bedroom, and is not limited to those who are familiar with BDSM/kink lifestyles.
History of electrostimulation
Electrostimulation has existed for centuries. As Rebecca Weinberg, XR Brands director of marketing, explains, “Electrostimulation is seen as early as 500 B.C., using electrical impulses provided by particular fish species to treat pain. It has most notably gained recognition within the medical field, as it was previously used to cure a variety of ailments, such as impotence. Electrostimulation is very commonly used by chiropractors to stimulate muscles and nerves to reduce pain.”
Weinberg continues, “The first known electrostimulation devices came about in the 1980s. Up until then, people had been known to create their own makeshift devices with items found in their homes.”
Selling e-stim
A long-standing and common perception among those who are inexperienced and/or “vanilla” when it comes to electro play is that the pain of e-stim outweighs the pleasure. It is therefore understandable that many consumers might not venture beyond that mindset and take the chance on electro play ... especially when something so foreign comes with a higher-than-average price point.
According to Mick Clarke, sales director for E-Stim Systems Ltd., “People think it is just a fetish or BDSM thing, and that it’s about causing pain. Again, this comes back to the fear of electric shocks, when really it isn’t. Yes, electro play is very popular with those communities and it can be used for pain, but it can also be used for a lot of pleasure. After all, you can do the same with a feather: it can be very sensual to use, or you can tickle someone so much that they can’t breathe and are begging you to stop. It is not about what the product is, but how you use it that makes the difference.”
If you are seeing your e-stim inventory collect more dust on the shelves than sales in your retail or online store, the missing link to capturing revenue may simply boil down to consumer education.
Three tips to help guide a consumer towards an e-stim purchase:
1. Explain the sensation
Electrostimulation products carry a multitude of physical sensations, from “pins and needles” shocks to electrifying surges of energy that shoot throughout the body. Just like you might ask a first-time vibrator customer if they prefer internal or external stimulation, you will want to tell a first-time e-stim customer about the range of sensations they can experience, while asking them to identify which of those sensations they’d like to achieve and where, anatomically.
Clarke says, “It can take quite a bit to convince someone that e-stim is not the same as putting your finger in the outlet and throwing yourself across the room, but once you explain that it is a gentle sensation — a bit like a cross between pins and needles and a tickle — if you can get past that, and take the leap of faith, many find that it is a really great sensation with so much to offer.”
Describing physical sensations in firsthand, familiar ways can encourage a customer to make a purchase. For example: “This sensation feels like the brief shock when you drag your feet across the carpet and touch someone.” Framing an e-stim experience through relatable examples can make the concept of electro play feel more approachable to the average or beginner-level consumer.
2. Demos do the trick
Request floor tester units from the manufacturer or your distributor. It is unlikely that a new e-stim customer will make a purchase just by looking at the box. Additionally, it is important for staff members to know the variety of e-stim attachments and components, which can drastically change a sexual experience based on power level, function and body target.
Kinklab’s Neon Wand Power Tripper extension is one of the most unique, versatile attachments that consumers love to experience during a demo. When in use, the Power Tripper is placed against the wearer’s skin, and allows them to be the conductor of electricity. In this case, no extra attachments are needed; the road to innovative sensory play is literally right at your fingertips.
3. Ensure a well-educated staff
As sex toy retailers, we bear the responsibility of conveying the benefits of branching out into unknown sex toy territory. For example, ball stretchers may look and sound intimidating to the average consumer and garner a “What the….?” reaction, but they also have the ability to intensify and prolong orgasms, among other things. Paired with subtle e-stim, such as Rimba’s 7862 E-Stim Electro Sex Ballstretcher, there is immense potential for unprecedented stimulation.
As Charlie Cook, president of Rimba Wholesale, explained, retailers “will want someone in their shop that has tried the power unit, even if only connecting a unit between a wrist and forearm to make a hand quiver. We believe shops need to have someone who has tried the power unit, even if only in the very basic of ways, then they can talk from experience. And, staff training isn't complicated, they just need to remember to make sure a new customer buys the conductive gel and uses it with their attachments. We believe without the gel, most first timers won't come back.”
Staff should not only know about the technicalities and safety measures of e-stim, but all of the powerful ways that e-stim attachments and accessories can be used for better sex.
Per Clarke, ”It is safe if you follow the basic safety rules of not playing above the waist unless you know what you are doing, and never creating a circuit across the heart. As for it being complex ... well, it really is not. If you understand a simple electrical circuit of a battery and a light bulb, then you can get to grips with electro play very easily, and have a lot of fun and enjoyment.”
Consumer FAQs
When it comes to providing consumer education on all types of sex toys, There are the usual questions and concerns. For electro-stimulation devices, these are among the most frequent:
Q: “Does electrostimulation hurt?”
A: Not if used properly. Understanding the safe, sane and consensual way to implement electro sex toys properly is non-negotiable — and also the difference between an enjoyable experience versus a disappointing one. A crucial component of e-stim play is conductive gel, which may go overlooked during retail/consumer education.
“The largest misconception, as seen on a YouTube video or two, is that it's painful,” according to Cook. “Pain is not the intent or proper use for these devices. The pain arises from someone not applying conductive gel or using a toy improperly.
“Without the conductive gel, the current passes through the skin in only a few locations and can painfully overstimulate nerves. With the conductive gel, the current is evenly spread over a wide area of the skin into the muscle tissue where it provides a unique display of muscle contractions and movement, simulating many sensations.”
Q: “Is electro play only for people who are into BDSM?”
A: Electro play isn’t solely designated for any type of person. All kinds of people get enjoyment from electro play in a variety of different situations, whether that is a couple seeking something new, or an approach to helping pelvic floor dysfunction or managing sexual pain disorders.
“If you consider that our entire body is run by small electrical pulses, and when you realize that the mechanism of orgasm is all based around electrical pulses in the body causing the muscles to contract — with the use of an e-stim unit, you can achieve even stronger orgasms, and [consumers] get even more interested in trying it,” says Clarke.
Q: “Does the electricity start low and go higher, or is it just high with no adjustment modes?”
A: Electrostim devices all begin on a low setting, so the user can choose a specific area on the body and get used to the sensations while also learning their limits and their partner’s limits and preferences. Intensity settings are just one way to get creative with an e-stim toy, but there are many alternatives to thinking outside of the (power) box.
Per Weinberg, “Electroplay is great for massages, whether alone or as a couple. It can also help relax the muscles and ease your mind. I have one customer that swears it helps her meditation.”
Q: “How can I introduce this type of play to my partner?”
A: No matter what type of pleasure product you are suggesting, the first step is always having a conversation about the possibility of trying something new, with the goal of both or all parties experiencing the most sublime pleasure that can possibly exist. Once the conversation has been initiated in a relationship, suggest that your customer bring their partner into the store for an educational demo with a staff member that you recommend. Go the extra mile by offering a private consultation so they feel that you are invested in their education and wellbeing.
Merchandising magic
Consumer awareness starts at the retail level, so the actual location of e-stim products in your store plays an important role in how they are ultimately perceived by customers. Are your BDSM products all huddled together on one wall near the back, or in a dark corner of the store? If you catch a lot of customers glancing skeptically in that direction, try integrating kink items into more “mainstream” sections. Can a TENS unit sit alongside erotic massage and/or self-care items? Yes! You’re selling the idea of the at-home spa experience and a chiropractic treatment in one fell swoop. Your customers lean on you for that type of information, whether they know it or not.
“Some people automatically think it’s not for them because of its name,” Weinberg said. “We see many change their minds once they actually start to learn about how relaxing and pleasurable it can be.”
It doesn’t hurt to get creative and carve out an in-store section for lesser-known products and niches that customers might enjoy. For example, incorporate some products that need some extra TLC or exposure to sell, and place them in a new end-cap section titled “Next-Level Pleasure,” “Adventurous AF,” or “Don’t Knock It ’Til You Try It!” Having fun with cross-merchandising and product category presentation is something that Amazon will never be able to provide; take advantage of this capability to facilitate a witty, approachable experience.
Pleasure to the people
“Within safe limits, people should be entitled to explore their sexual pleasures,” says Weinberg. “Unique items will continue to keep us inspired and innovative.”
When it comes to e-stim toys, a customer’s next great orgasm may lie on the other side of apprehension. To achieve it, they just need a little spark in their step.
