Sex toys have become less taboo over the years, in large part due to modern society’s sexual liberation. People’s willingness to explore their sexuality and try new things have made sex toy shops and businesses boom in recent years. And since selling sex toys is considered a recession-proof and evergreen industry, it’s certainly encouraging to join the game and make a business out of offering products that are designed to give and enhance one’s sensual delights.
A sex toy business may still look like a novelty, but just like any other enterprise, you still have to meet certain standards in terms of prices, quality, and convenience in order to succeed in this industry. Good marketing skills and top-notch customer services are a must, just like in any other business.
Here are some tips to help ease your way smoothly into the sex toy business:
1. Physical or Online Storefront
There are pros and cons to both – physical stores are great for customers who still want to see the actual product before buying, while online stores are the best for those who prioritize convenience and discretion. Not sure which is better for you? Opening a physical location that sells online is also an option.
2. Take Care of the Legal Legwork
This will depend on your intended area of operation. Some states may have regulations regarding the sale of sex toys. You may have to sell your pleasure wares categorized as an educational or novelty item. If you plan to manufacture your own products, you need to look at several elements in order to comply with local regulations. These elements include product packaging, marketing, use of images and videos, product naming, and design and materials.
3. Create a Brand
The sex toy market caters to customers who want products that they can enjoy for themselves or to be enjoyed with others. This makes your branding situation a bit tricky, since you will have several potential customer profiles to consider when it comes to nailing the target market for your brand.
These profiles include customers who just want to pleasure themselves and their partners, those who want to explore their sexual limitations, and those who want to heal from traumatic experiences. It helps to stay abreast of self-care and sexual wellness trends when you’re brainstorming for your branding.
4. Know the Right Kind of Toys to Sell
With so many shapes and varieties to choose from, it’s certainly challenging to choose the kind of sex toys to sell. Make your choice easier by considering your target audience and niche. You can opt for pleasure stimulating toys such as vibrators, dildos, butt plugs, penis rings, and butt plugs. You can choose or include pleasure-enhancing toys as well – items such as handcuffs, mouth gags, feather ticklers, and roleplay costumes.
Oh, and whatever category you choose, it would certainly help to include sex accessories in your inventory as well. Customers will definitely need those lubricants, condoms, and toy cleaners for regular use.
5. Decide How to Make and/or Sell your Products
Whether you choose to go online or offline, you still have to decide how to create your products and make them fly off the shelves. If you just want to focus on design and marketing, you can outsource the creation of your products to a trusted and experienced manufacturer.
If you want a more relaxed way of doing business, reselling and dropshipping may be just the thing for you. You can buy the products from manufacturers in bulk and then resell and ship them from your inventory. If you want to forego the inventory altogether, you can just drop ship the toys through your website and let others manage the inventory and shipping.
6. Build a Website for Your Business
Even if you have a physical store, having a website for your business is a must. Having a website to display, sell, and promote your brand and products is necessary to reach a lot of customers. These days, it’s easy to launch a pre-designed website, but you may want to start from scratch and build one that completely reflects your brand.
Of course, this means investing time and money in a team to do the technical and creative work but having an awesome website that is effective in all aspects and can be used for online marketing and social media is certainly worth the investment.
Given the fact that sex will never go out of style, you can rest easy knowing that the demand for pleasure toys will always be there.
