Adult Retail Trends for 2018

By on April 13, 2018

Chad Braverman, CFO/CCO – Doc Johnson
“A big trend we are seeing right now is a more curated shopper in the adult market, especially with our female customer base. Women aren’t looking to buy one vibrator every few years or even just one at a time. They’re becoming connoisseurs, looking for a variety of sensations. We recognized early on that our customers our incredibly versatile and that even day-to-day, a woman’s preferences for what she finds pleasurable can vary. And they’re not just looking for ‘more vibration, stronger vibration, different vibration patterns,” said Chad Braverman, CCO/CFO of Doc Johnson.

“One of the most revolutionary things we’ve done in terms of vibrators, is to not rely exclusively on vibration. We’re integrating motion and movement, both for internal g-spot and clitoral stimulation with our iVibe line. It reflects an array of products, each with unique motion functionality. This year, we’re excited to introduce our silicone, rechargeable iRoll to the market. It features a rotating ‘tongue’ clitoral stimulator, beads that move up and down the shaft, and these features operate independently of one another for even more options. Of course it still offers powerful vibration!”

Angela Mohlfeld, Head of Communication – JOYDIVISION
JOYDIVISION sees great potential in the target group of “open-minded and modern men”. We are talking about men, who confidently explore unusual regions of their bodies; regions that were formerly considered to be non-male. For a long time anal satisfaction was a taboo subject for heterosexual men. However, this has changed with the prostate stimulator XPANDER from the German manufacturer JOYDIVISION. Due to its special shape, the modern toy supports the stimulation of the male “G-spot”, the so-called P-spot. In addition, the XPANDER has been equipped with an innovative, unique operating principle to facilitate the introduction of the toy. The volume of the XPANDER can be reduced by 50% due to the special technical features. In this way, the stimulator can be inserted easily and safely. When in place, the XPANDER unfolds its full stimulation size.

Most men think of the female sex when they think about anal sex. The male prostate is a highly sensitive region which, if stimulated properly, can lead to intensive orgasms. The XPANDER has been specially designed for male prostate stimulation and is flexible and versatile. Made from high quality Silikomed, the XPANDER can be used with all lubricants and is produced 100% in Germany as a stimulator “Made with Love in Germany”. The male counterpart to the female G-spot, the so-called P-spot, is stimulated. However, a large number of men have not had an orgasm through the P-spot. It is considered to be one of the most intense and great orgasms ever.

Sunny Rogers, Sexual Health & Wellness Educator – Pipedream Products
A trend that we are noticing for 2018 is sophistication in male masturbation. While women have had a wide assortment of vibrators to choose from for years now, men have mostly been regulated to stroker sleeves or their bare hands. And when male masturbators did reach their next level, many products were sexy replicas of body parts, such as our Pipedream Extreme Toyz collection.

We recently introduced an entire new line of premium male masturbation products – PDX Elite. This collection was created in direct response to the numerous requests we received asking for more choices of higher quality, innovative male masturbation products. If I can share two of my favorites from this collection, I would recommend the PDX Elite Cock Compressor Vibrating Stroker and the PDX Elite Deluxe Mega-Bator.

The Cock Compressor Vibrating Stroker incorporates ingenious Air-Bag Technology designed to inflate and deflate around the shaft, thereby providing first-of-its-kind squeeze and release masturbation pleasure. We like to call this “milking masturbation”.

The Deluxe Mega-Bator is a top-of-the-line male masturbator offering everything a man needs for masturbation stimulation in a convenient hands-free design. Believe me, this is a one-stop shop! First off, it’s rechargeable – so it’s always ready to go and features spinning and thrusting movements, plus 5 powerful speeds and 10 pulsation patterns. The internal pleasure sleeve is enhanced with 3 interchangeable realistic pleasure toppers that are smooth, stretchy, and warm to body temperature for an incredible masturbation experience.

This collection has been so successful for us that our product development team is already working on additional unique items to add to this line. Given that the brain is the most powerful sexual organ since this is where the sex drive stems from, our upcoming products will feature Speech Recognition Technology and motion-activated interactive Dirty Talk to provide erotic communication for a heightened level of pleasure.

We’re happy to see that this segment of pleasure products is becoming an increasingly popular trend. Research shows that there are seven different types of nerves leading to 20,000 to 70,000 nerve endings just on an average foreskin, so it makes sense that an incredible amount of pleasure can be derived from a man’s penis when having contact with different types of stimuli. This is why we here at Pipedream Products are committed to continually offering the best male masturbation products on the market.

Erin Worgan, Marketing, Business Development and Sales Coordinator – BMS
At BMS we’re there is a trend towards more inclusive, innovative and user-friendly products, which translates to more thoughtful design. Manufacturers are now creating pleasure products that are used for multiple purposes. Modern sex toys are now adjustable, flexible and fluid. We’re sure this will be seen throughout the industry in 2018 and beyond. We’re hoping this is a trend that sticks, as sexual products shouldn’t be a one size fits all and should be able to provide as much pleasure as possible for the greatest number of people, because not all items are used in the same way or used by the same bodies. While some items are specifically designed for a targeted purpose, we’re seeing more and more products that cater to individual needs, and smaller vulnerable groups, like never before. Product design in general seems to be more empathetic, and human-centered – accommodating the desire for more creative and dynamic play.

At BMS we’re excited to see a continuing trend towards Body-Safe products and a drive towards sexual health and education. Access to sexual health information and education is as important as ever, and we encourage all potential and existing customers to research and understand what makes a sexual toy both safe and of high quality. Moving towards high quality and body-safe pleasure products means the materials are hygienic and able to be disinfected. While some manufacturers do not have consumer safety and hygiene in mind, our goal is to share a message that consumers should always be aware of what they’re purchasing in order to make the most informed decision of what’s right for them.

We’re so excited to see the growing movement towards elevating female executives behind the design and execution of pleasure products within the industry, as well as a continued acceptance of female sexual liberation globally. At BMS, we’re consistently working to destigmatize female sexuality, while encouraging the prevalence of female empowerment within an organization. The slogan for BMS’ best-selling Swan brand is “Pursue Your Pleasure”, because we believe that women can take their sexual pleasure into their own hands and should not be ashamed to do so. BMS boasts a female dominated workplace, that creates, and markets pleasure products designed by women for women, inherently strengthening a resounding voice for female sexual empowerment.

Ryan McCrobie, Product Education Specialist – System JO
System JO has been working to satisfy growing consumer trends by focusing our time and efforts towards educating consumers about our sensitive formulas, highlighting natural ingredients, and sharing information about our USDA certified as organic. These trends are not only seen within the adult market, but are friendly topics to help improve customer acquisition from more traditional markets. The importance here is that consumers are aware that they will receive the best selection and service when shopping within an adult store. Products like Agape have seen large leaps in growth in terms of sales, with interest continually growing stronger.

We also see a trend from consumers that are looking for an easier and more informative shopping experience. We offer our satisfaction guarantee in order to always support consumers in trying new experiences, but it also provides a lot of essential information to describe the success of the shopping experience. Most consumers that feel like they bought the wrong product, or were not sure what to buy, reported on average a 1 out of 10 in understanding the options available. That means they spent time in store, but received no direction. They were not recommended a product based on their current shopping habits, or depicted needs. We are currently working on developing a range of displays to help meet this demand for improving the ease of shopping and highlighting need to know information for consumers.

The important thing to always remember is that a consumer could go online at any point, select a specific category, filter that category to brand, organize that listing by price, and then take a look at reviews. Stores will not win in this space by carrying variety, but instead making sure that the products that are being carried are well known by all staff. If you are investing in product, the time to train on those products should be as important the product investment. We all know that associates are going to have an easier time selling what they like. This year System JO is focusing on the importance of product experience. We are launching an associate program that guarantees large foil samplers to be sent to stores in order to keep associates insync with product options available. This will help associates to keep a personal product story in mind and improve their ability to connect with consumers.

Valeria Opanasyk, Brand Ambassador, UK – FT London
The games in bed will become even more exciting in 2018. Fast-changing perceptions of individuals toward adult pleasure products, coupled with positive image the sexual treatment products receive through media results in gradually growing variety. Sex-toys become more and more body-friendly, smart and innovative.

Soft materials
The newest sex-toys tend to give a woman the sensations she receives with real experienced partner, cause in 2018 she can already comprehend maximum of tactile reality thanks to second generation of “Bioskin” material invented by Gvibe, which is as close to the human body as possible and 6 modes of pleasurable intensive stimulation, provided by Gjack2.

New shapes of Prostate toys
It finally happened! Men understood that the P-spot is the male G-spot and with targeted stimulation man can experience even more intense orgasms. New generation of prostate toys differ is shape, colour, rotation, vibration and intensity. Gvibe has designed an exciting twist form for true connoisseurs of anal games, which spins and enters easily with no additional efforts. Being inside, due to its ribby shape, Gplug Twist massages with each rib, delivering vibration and pleasure. Inside Gplug Twist there are motors of the new generation. Stronger vibration that makes almost no sound.

Technical Games
Treat yourself and your partner to a few technical games to follow the most influential trend of this year. An erotic enrichment overtakes you when you transfer to your partner the remote controller of your vibrating butt plug, which is for example the softest ever Bioskin Gplug. And how about to control two different butt plugs used simultaneously from one and the same Gring remote controller? Does the idea to control all coming products with the same handy vibrating ring inspire you for new sexual experiments?

Pelvic floor training
Making exercises for keeping pelvic floor strong becomes a mandatory practice in the daily check-list of every modern woman. Kegels for advanced users are already waiting for their adorers. Geisha balls magnetic is a new powerful trainer that will probably change our perception of traditional geisha balls.

Luxurious products
New luxurious vibrators with the use of precious materials change the idea of the best present for a woman. Who cares of the jewellery, when a limited edition Gvibe Mini with 24K gold can surprise your beloved on a special occasion and satisfy you both. Lots of attention is paid to the design of a unique boxing and pouch.

Hauke Christiansen, Key Account Manager ORION Wholesale
In 2018, the erotic specialist with customers worldwide will carry on being a reliable partner for international trade: with extensive quality-tested bestseller assortments, stable prices, high delivery capacity, competent and service-oriented advice, and, of course, with numerous product novelties from all the product categories.

This is especially true for the “lingerie” category because this year there’ll be lots of new collections from best-selling labels like “Cottelli Collection”, “Close2you”, “Abierta Fina”, “Red Corner” (the party outfit label), and “Black Level”, “LateX” and “Zado” (the fetish labels). Trends are whatever people like, however trendy matte material and lingerie with functions are very popular at the moment. That also goes for the new collection from the men’s lifestyle underwear label, “Svenjoyment Underwear”, which offers men attractive underwear that is made out of top-quality, fashionable material. The underwear´s sophisticated designs and functions emphasise “a man’s best parts” – attractive, sporty and extravagant. Women’s plus size lingerie has also become very fashionable too. ORION reacted to these trends and popular demands in the industry by expanding this category’s assortment. That is why the “Cottelli Collection Plus” lingerie goes up to size 4XL – high-quality lingerie for women who want to show off and emphasise their curves. And what about colours? Red and black are staying and purple is up-and-coming!

ORION Wholesale has also had a trendy start to the year in the sex toy category with the Suck-O-Mat. The SUCK-O-MAT masturbator with its innovative “SUCK-O-MAT® Hands Free Masturbation Technology” will make men’s hearts race – not just because of how it looks, but above all because of its unbelievable blow job skills. There will also be wonderful novelties in other toy ranges too. One of these toy ranges is the popular and colourful “Smile” range. The highlight: these high-quality silicone toys have silky soft-touch surfaces that provide intense stimulation and open the door to thrilling new experiences of pleasure.

The BDSM items from “Bad Kitty” also open the door to thrilling new experiences of pleasure as well. They are modern and cheeky, which makes them perfect for beginners wanting to try out this special world of passion.

The trend is now going towards individual assortments – branding and excellent presentation of products is also becoming more and more important as well. Not only does ORION Wholesale support its customers with quality-tested products delivered in innovative, environmentally-friendly, promotional packaging (with a description of the item in various languages on it), but also with customised promotional material like catalogues, flyers, posters, product testers and displays.

ORION Wholesale customers are therefore well equipped for a trendy and fashionable 2018!

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