Sexual pleasure is no longer a male-only affair, and the sex toy industry knows it. In the last two years, it is this segment that has set the pace for the sector, which has been transformed and evolved towards the development of products aimed at women.
The change is remarkable. About a decade ago, it was very rare for a woman to enter a sex shop to buy. This practice was somewhat “demonized” due to all the taboos around women’s sexuality, who have been combating them through greater sexual education and greater supply.
Sales in digital stores and social networks have been added to erotic toy stores. According to experts in the sector, the boom will continue in the coming years, with a boom due to word of mouth recommendations from users.
“I worked in a sex shop around 2011. Back then there were few women who came in to buy, although they have always been more open, and now, with the pandemic and the rise of platforms like Only Fans, sales have increased but there are also more toys; before they were realistic latex dildos, and now there are clitoral massagers and even remote control vibrators”, says Carlos Dorantes, owner of Miaw Love Store.
The administrator of the online sex shop considers that this is the best time for the shops of the line, and the data proves him right. Last year, this market reached a value of 30,480 million dollars, which is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 8.4% between 2022 and 2030, projects the firm Grand View Research.
The segment aimed at women dominated the market with a revenue share of around 60% last year, fueled by the wide range of women’s products that is readily available to buy both in physical stores, through e-commerce and even online. in social networks, according to the consultant.
But the role of women goes beyond just shopping, as they are also the ones who determine the trends of the products that are added to the store catalogs. For example, Dorantes consults a group of women, who share their opinions on the use of the most innovative toys, and even share tips to offer them to their clients.
This is a dynamic similar to that of Platanomelón, a Spanish brand of sex toys that arrived in Mexico in mid-2020, in which 80% of the collaborators are women, which has worked to dispel doubts and resolve concerns regarding the women’s sexuality.
Lourdes Albin, country manager of the brand in Mexico, explains that although the industry is now experiencing a boom in categories for male and female genitalia, it is women who have a greater participation when buying, which has led the company to have a greater number of launches aimed at this growing category.
“70% of our buyers are women , which shows that there is an interest in the subject and that they want to experience new things. The growth of women who have been joining the community and buying is also very high, from the summer of last year until now it has grown 67% ”, declares the directive.
The sex shop increased the proportion of women who intend to buy a toy from 30% to 38%. “Being talking about sexual well-being so openly is helping to break taboos, in addition to the fact that the new generations come with a chip that is much more open to experimenting ,” he adds.
Although the company has an innovation process that has allowed it to develop some toys, they also take some devices that already exist on the market and change the materials and colors to stay in line with those already sold on their page. For example, Mambo, a best-selling clitoral sucker, is based on an existing device, with only nozzles and an intensity modulator added as part of this customization process.
where to buy sex toys
In Mexico, there are only 481 sex shops registered in the National Statistical Directory of Economic Units (Denue), although it is possible that there are more of these places , in addition to the stores that are added through digital platforms.
Although women like to see the products, e-commerce has opened a big door for sex toy sales, fueled by discreet shipping , and in some cases, categorization of purchases on credit card statements. which the payment is made.
Meibi, a digital sex shop in León, Guanajuato, has managed to take advantage of this momentum. Moni Martínez, director of marketing for the company, comments that, since 2020, sales of sex toys among Mexican women have increased 50% each year, according to company data.
Although they do not have a physical store, this brand has devised a way to physically connect with users through tuppersex , a dynamic in which, through presentations of erotic toys with a catalog to a group of women , they can see, touch and dispel their doubts directly with the vendors. Sales at these events are equivalent to 35% of a day’s revenue in the online store.
Although openness regarding women’s sexuality has grown, the challenge for Meibi and the rest of the erotic toy stores is to communicate experiences with toys so that users have no doubts about sizes or sounds, and encourage purchases through sex education, always advised by sexologists and experts on the subject.
“Communication and content (on social networks), not only educational, is what is raising the market. This helps to break down prejudices and taboos and is essential, because the brain is the first sexual organ to be eroticized , ”shares the directive.
Among the toys that help stimulate erogenous zones, the ones that are most bought on digital platforms are clitoral suckers or vibrators for internal stimulation . In Meibi, the most purchased product is Janis, a rabbit vibrator, but it is not the only thing. The directors agree that women opt for other types of sex toys to use in certain areas of the body, with significant growth in those used in pairs and that have some type of technology.
In analyzing sex toy trends, Grand View Research finds that the popularity of the devices is worldwide, and with few restrictions on manufacturers regarding materials, it is now possible to have toys such as bluetooth or automated vibrators to enhance the sexual experience. .
“One of the growing trends in the sex toy industry is the adoption of technology . Virtual devices, remotely connected devices, robots, immersive entertainment and augmented reality are factors that are expected to change the market landscape in the coming years”, says the analysis.
