Feature Articles
How Retailers Can Get the Most Out of Trade Shows
opinion
How Retailers Can Get the Most Out of Trade Shows
Trade shows offer something that catalogs and online browsing can’t match. Seeing, touching and discussing products in person gives you a better sense of how they might perform in your store.
How Promoting Wellness Fuels Retail Growth in Uncertain Times
opinion
How Promoting Wellness Fuels Retail Growth in Uncertain Times
My PR and marketing work helping adult brands, performers and platforms reach audiences has made one thing very clear. The brands most likely to succeed in the current economic, political and social climate are the ones marketing more than just sex.
How Pleasure Brands Can Capture Attention Through Press Trips
opinion
How Pleasure Brands Can Capture Attention Through Press Trips
In many industries, press trips are considered desirable but optional — a bonus rather than a core element of a brand’s marketing strategy. In sexual wellness, however, they are essential.
Automating Retail Accounting With AI
opinion
Automating Retail Accounting With AI
With 21 locations, I’m pretty much always hiring. Unfortunately, the employment market these days can be chaotic, as candidates send out applications across dozens of job boards with a single click. For managers like me, this results in more time spent sorting through signals and static.
5 Ways Social Media Can Boost Retail Sales
opinion
5 Ways Social Media Can Boost Retail Sales
In today’s retail landscape, social media isn’t optional. It is one of the most essential drivers of product discovery, store traffic and long-term customer loyalty. The retailers seeing the strongest engagement and sell-through today are creating experiences customers want to share.
Tips for 'Soft Selling' to Today's Shoppers
opinion
Tips for 'Soft Selling' to Today's Shoppers
"This is our bestseller.” “You should get this one instead; it’s stronger.” “This one costs more — but it’s way better!” In adult retail, sweeping statements like these can sound impersonal and make shoppers feel rushed, unseen and unsupported.
A Guide to Displaying Sex Dolls In-Store
opinion
A Guide to Displaying Sex Dolls In-Store
Sex dolls are high-priced and visually striking, but often misunderstood by first-time buyers. Displayed poorly, they can seem intimidating, gimmicky or off-putting. Displayed well, they become conversation starters, high-quality premium products and confidence-boosting sales opportunities.
How AI Is Modernizing Retail HR
opinion
How AI Is Modernizing Retail HR
With 21 locations, I’m pretty much always hiring. Unfortunately, the employment market these days can be chaotic, as candidates send out applications across dozens of job boards with a single click. For managers like me, this results in more time spent sorting through signals and static.
Rethinking Influencer Marketing in Sexual Wellness
opinion
Rethinking Influencer Marketing in Sexual Wellness
Influencer marketing has evolved over the past several years, and that ripple has extended to the sexual wellness industry. The factors driving the appeal of partnering with influencers — raising awareness and expanding reach — remain just as important as they did when such partnerships first became common.
Guiding Shoppers With Clear Pleasure Education
opinion
Guiding Shoppers With Clear Pleasure Education
One of the most valuable skills in pleasure retail isn’t persuasion — it’s translation. Customers often arrive curious but cautious, unsure of terminology, functions or even what questions to ask. The goal isn’t to overwhelm them with specs or explicit details, but to describe product features in a way that feels approachable, relatable and easy to imagine.
High-ROI Marketing Tactics for Online Retail
opinion
High-ROI Marketing Tactics for Online Retail
In adult ecommerce, the marketing landscape never stops shifting. What succeeded brilliantly in March may seem outdated by September. When you look at the bigger picture, however patterns emerge: clear, repeatable paths to strong ROI that remain consistent even as algorithms, platforms and buyer behavior keep changing.
A Hands-On Review of AI Camera Monitoring for Retail
opinion
A Hands-On Review of AI Camera Monitoring for Retail
Last month, I outlined the main AI-powered loss prevention options available to businesses: DIY solutions, hosted services and enterprise platforms. This time, I decided to test one out myself. I contacted a cloud video platform that integrates with Lightspeed POS and scheduled a demo.
Turning Fantasy Fans Into New Creature Play Shoppers
opinion
Turning Fantasy Fans Into New Creature Play Shoppers
Adult “creature play” is no longer just a niche novelty. There’s even a term for this kink: teratophilia, meaning sexual attraction to monsters. A heady mix of sensory novelty, curiosity about unfamiliar bodies and potential power dynamics has made lusting after and role-playing mythological creatures more widely accepted. The erotically captivating allure of otherworldly beings has even become prevalent across pop culture, from “True Blood” and “The Shape of Water” to Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and “monster boyfriend” romantasy literature trending on TikTok.
Why Midlife Men Are the Next Big Bet in Sexual Wellness
opinion
Why Midlife Men Are the Next Big Bet in Sexual Wellness
The recent shift toward supporting pleasure for perimenopausal and menopausal women — a topic once treated as taboo — has clearly been a major breakthrough for the sexual wellness industry. However, there is an equally important yet often neglected market to consider: midlife men.
Retailer Tips for Building Customer Trust, Loyalty
opinion
Retailer Tips for Building Customer Trust, Loyalty
Want to increase customer traffic and deepen engagement in 2026? Then it’s time to look beyond quick wins and start building true loyalty.
How AI-Powered Loss Prevention Can Help Your Store
opinion
How AI-Powered Loss Prevention Can Help Your Store
Years ago, I was deeply involved in upgrading the security camera system at a store in Hawaii. The process took several months. We provided store diagrams, mapped out camera lines of sight, waited for quotes, then coordinated with a contractor to install everything. It cost thousands — and by the time I left that position, the system still wasn’t fully operational.
5 Product Trends Retail Buyers Should Bet On in 2026
opinion
5 Product Trends Retail Buyers Should Bet On in 2026
In 2026, expect consumers to prioritize one thing above all else: comfort.
Exploring the Shift Toward Pleasure Products Designed for All Bodies
opinion
Exploring the Shift Toward Pleasure Products Designed for All Bodies
The last few years have seen a positive change in our industry, as more brands and innovators are finally prioritizing accessibility. Whether they call it inclusive design, adaptive pleasure or accessible intimacy, the aim remains the same: Pleasure should be accessible to everyone, including people with limited mobility or physical disabilities.
How January Retail Sales Prime the Pump for Valentine's Day
opinion
How January Retail Sales Prime the Pump for Valentine's Day
January may look quiet on paper, but anyone who has worked in a pleasure store knows that the first month of the year has a very particular energy.
Tips for Supporting Male Shoppers Managing Stress and Performance Issues
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opinion
Tips for Supporting Male Shoppers Managing Stress and Performance Issues
When focusing on men’s sexual health, one crucial topic to discuss is how stress can impact men’s sexual well-being, and what can be done about it.
