Diversification, advertising and marketing are the keys to survival in these challenging economic times. With customer dollars getting harder to come by, expanding your product mix and maximizing your sales and marketing efforts just makes sense.
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “a new product line can put a small company in front of a fresh set of consumers and dramatically increase its reach.”
And few product lines go together better than lingerie and adult toys and novelties. Adult retailers have much to gain by expanding into the lingerie market—and vice versa. The benefits result when customers, attracted by the new merchandise, buy more than just the items they came in for.
Toy Stores: Clothes for Business
For a traditional toy store with a focus on novelties and videos, adding lingerie, shoes and costumes could be a big boost for business, as these items are strong, year-round sellers.
And expanding your product mix doesn’t mean investing huge amounts of money or space for clothing racks. There are many lines of packaged lingerie that are popular sellers and take up little floor space.
The packaged lingerie industry has really come of age. Some of the premier brands on the market now include Dreamgirl, Elegant Moments, and Coquette.
Dreamgirl is recognized as an international manufacturer and marketer of bedroom costumes and lingerie. Dreamgirl merchandise can be found in more than 5,000 retail stores and on internet sites around the world.
Elegant Moments was founded in 1983 and is a major manufacturer of lingerie, costumes, club wear, packaged lingerie, packaged hosiery, and leather merchandise.
Coquette has great corset lines that are very popular. Stores not carrying these are missing out on a profitable and versatile item—made for the bedroom, but hot and stylish enough for clubbing.
Along with lingerie, shoes are perfect additions to one’s stock. Ellie Shoes are sexy and reasonably priced. No lingerie purchase is complete without a matching pair of shoes.
Toy retailers need to realize that the market’s focus has changed from men to women and couples, and stores need to cater to these customers to be successful.
Women are historically gatherers, while men are hunters. Men go in, find their prey, and leave. Women will come in to browse or shop and leave with several items. Make sure your store appeals to them by being warm, comfortable, well lit, and friendly.
Lingerie Stores: Take the High-End Road
Lingerie stores, too, stand to benefit from extending their reach into adult novelties. Given the wide variety of new items on the market, lingerie shops can confidently choose discreet toys that appeal to high-end consumers and won’t offend the sensibilities with X-rated images or graphic descriptions.
Among the many fun and creative products that are beloved by couples is the We-Vibe. One of the best-selling adult toys in the world, the We-Vibe is a product so perfect that you just can’t believe it wasn’t invented years ago. Designed to be worn while making love, the We-Vibe provids both external clitoral and internal G-spot stimulation for women during either solo or partner play.
Other popular products come from Lelo, an elegantly designed, high-end line from Sweden that has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Elle, Marie Claire and Men’s Health magazines.
High-end lines tend to do well in down markets even as mid-range lines falter due to lack of discretionary income. People who have normally spent a little more are spending a little less, while those who have historically bought high-end items continue to do so.
Valentine’s Day, Ladies’ Night
It’s important to focus on seasonality in your advertising and marketing.
Valentine’s Day is a huge season for our industry. With more than 1 billion valentines given out every year, and more than $13 billion dollars in sales, Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas when it comes to gift giving.
Next up is bachelorette season, which traditionally has been under-marketed in the industry. April to July is prime bachelorette season, and the secondary bachelorette season is in September.
An emerging trend in the industry is not only bachelorette parties but also many different kinds of parties, including divorce parties, sorority parties, and girls’-night-out parties.
There is a new line out called Night to Remember by sassigirl that features items for all different kinds of parties. It’s ladies’ night any night with Night to Remember—the products in the line are perfect for bachelorette parties, birthdays, divorce celebrations, showers, sorority gatherings or any occasion where a sprinkling of sass is needed. Your customers will love being in the spotlight with items from Night to Remember.
Don’t Keep Your Store a Secret
In tough times, the tendency is for people to cut back on expenses. But it’s a fatal mistake to cut back on advertising and marketing, because your competitors who don’t cut back will get all your business. Why let the competition get your sales?
Market yourself constantly. Put your information on receipts, handouts and all advertising. Maximize your mailing lists and take advantage of tax-rebate checks. Make sure to get ads out as often as possible.
Retailers need to give customers a reason to return to their stores, and in-store promotions serve this purpose precisely. Postcards or coupons for $5 off the next purchase are inexpensive to produce and can get great results and repeat business.
In this day and age it’s also very important to have a website. Websites are economical ways to build business, trust and confidence.
To that end, Eldorado created the StoreExtender program, which is different from an affiliate program because you get the full markup on Eldorado’s wholesale pricing instead of a small percentage.
By taking advantage of the StoreExtender program, retail sites benefit by having access to Eldorado’s complete stock—one of the largest in the adult industry.
Customers: Are They Being Served?
As you consider expanding into potentially unfamiliar territory, remember that education and customer service are the keys to success. Make sure your staff is knowledgeable and comfortable when it comes to matters of sexual health and wellness. The more they know, the better they can help your customers.
Consumers are more educated than ever before, and it is important that your staff be able to answer any questions or respond to any concerns they have. Educate yourself and your staff and stay in touch with emerging markets and trends.
And always remember that part of the ability to succeed in these economic times is to have the right mindset. Be positive, cheerful and friendly when customers come into your place of business. Make sure you have the right information, the right mindset and the product-line diversity to achieve success.
Promote Your Store
Don’t miss any tricks when it comes to getting the word out about your business, including the following:
• Billboards
• Radio
• Television
• Print media (newspapers/magazines)
• Email blasts
• Google Adsense
• Community involvement and sponsorships
• Social media (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter)
• In-store promotions (postcards/coupons/receipts/flyers)
Larry Garland is the founder and CEO of award-winning adult toy and novelty distribution company Eldorado Trading Company. Established in 1974, Eldorado strives to be a dynamic distribution leader, setting standards of excellence in its markets.
This article originally appeared in the April 2010 issue of AVN's Intimate supplement.
