BATH, England—Lovehoney has published its 100,000th sex toy review—10 years after the first one was posted.
The U.K.’s biggest online adult retailer has built up what it believes is the world's biggest database of sex product reviews.
It now features 700 new reviews each week, 66 percent of which are written by women.
The first review was published on Oct. 3, 2005, and it was written by Zoe Margolis, who later found fame as the author of the sex blog Girl With A One-Track Mind, which was turned into a highly successful book.
Writing as 'The Girl', she gave five stars to the Rock Chick G-Spot Vibrator, saying: "This toy is the real McCoy; nothing I have ever used comes close to it."
Ten years on, Lovehoney still sells the toy, which has attracted an additional 100 reviews.
The 100,000th review was written by administrator Chelsea Keedy, 21, who gave a five-star review to Lovehoney's Powerful Mini G-Spot Vibrator which she had enjoyed with her boyfriend.
Lovehoney draws on the experiences of more than 85,000 community members who share their views of toys on its website and win discounts for customer loyalty.
A Lovehoney survey revealed that 88 percent of people read reviews in order to determine the quality of a product.
Lovehoney co-owner Richard Longhurst said: "We are very proud to have published our 100,000th review and would like to thank everyone who has taken the trouble to air their honest opinions about our products. We will publish any review that is written fairly and honestly, even if it is highly critical of the product.
"This kind of feedback is vital to a brand like ours where customer service is everything. We take on board the comments of every reviewer and will drop products which get consistently negative feedback. Similarly we will look to promote new toys on the site which get rave reviews.
"We find this kind of word-of-mouth endorsement is the very best kind of marketing for any product.
"The truth is that sales of products on our site don't tend to take off until they are reviewed. Lovehoney customers get reassurance from knowing someone has tried a product and expressed an honest opinion.
"What is great about Lovehoney is just how knowledgeable our reviewers are and what good writers they are, too.
"They can sniff out a dud toy very quickly and also uncover a gem which can quickly become a best-seller on the back of our reviewers' recommendations."
Over the 10 years, the most heavily reviewed toy has been the Lovehoney Basics Slimline Butt Plug with a staggering 767 reviews, closely followed by the Jessica Rabbit Vibrator (755) and the Oriental Ben Wa Jiggle Balls (704).
Chelsea Keedy, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, said she enjoyed reviewing products, using the pen-name Sparkle.
She said: "We all buy lots of clothes online but you rarely see reviews of the products. I find them extremely helpful which is why I started reviewing for Lovehoney.
"I like sharing my experiences of products and I hope other users find them as useful as I do."
Five facts about Lovehoney's sex toy reviews from Down The Rabbit Hole, Jon Millward's statistical breakdown of 1 million Lovehoney sales:
1. 66 percent of reviews are written by women.
2. Average review word count: women 110 words, men 100.
3. Women use 40 percent more exclamation marks than men.
4. Women use the word love 65 percent more than men.
5. Men reference their partners in reviews 90 percent more than women reference theirs.
