Great ideas sometimes come from small beginnings. That’s the case with Je Joue, a U.K.-based manufacturer whose concept of toys is that each them should be a great idea designed to help women make the most of their orgasms.
Originally formed back in 2004 by leading industrial designer Geoff Hollington, Je Joue didn’t just jump into the market. Instead, the fledgling company took a long time to research the marketplace. And today Je Joue—now headed by designers Duncan Turner and Chris Glaister, commercial manager Dan Gasper and U.S. sales and marketing manager Alicia Relles—is poised to introduce the next generation of adult toys.
“After 18 months of detailed research, testing and development, we previewed prototypes of our first toy, SaSi, back at AEE in January of 2008,” Gasper said. “We realized right away that there was enormous opportunity in the toy market to make luxury, innovative and female-insight-driven designs.” Je Joue then launched SaSi in the U.S. in the late summer of 2008, and to the rest of the industry at Venus in Berlin in October of that year.
“Since Venus, we’ve appointed nine Je Joue exclusive distribution partners globally, giving us distribution across 20 of the 22 key markets,” Gasper said. These markets include Australia, New Zealand, eastern and western Europe, Japan and South Africa.
“More recently we’ve established a U.S. distribution hub, and have appointed Alicia Relles to head up sales, marketing and brand training for North America,” Gasper said.
Relles said her main role will be one of education, both of retailers and of customers.
“I’m doing personalized training, and education and presentations in the stores,” she said. “I’m adding the education piece that never really existed before with Je Joue in the U.S. I’ll be visiting retailers and working with their staffs to go through all the different aspects of the SaSi.”
Because SaSi is a more sophisticated toy with advanced technology, Relles said that the educational aspect is a “must” for retailers.
“Supporting the sales staff is the best thing we can do as a brand,” she said. “I’m a huge believer in education for sales staffs, and that translates into education for our customers.”
Gasper said the philosophy behind the company is to entice and delight customers while helping them discover their desires.
“As everybody is unique, our toys are designed to be personalized to each individual’s desires,” he said. “There is no one ‘right’ way, so Je Joue’s designs and attitude toward toys aim to intrigue and inspire confidence in individuals and couples, enabling them to discover new experiences.”
That philosophy developed over time as Je Joue undertook major consumer research during the development phase of the brand.
“We identified two potential consumer groups,” Gasper said.
The first group consisted of currently active toy-using consumers, for whom unique designs that addressed female sensibilities would be very appealing. The second group represented female consumers who were interested in toys but found traditional, semi-realistic, low-end toys intimidating.
“This second group of consumers accounts for as much as 60 percent of the female population in many countries,” Gasper said. “As a result, we needed products and branding that would appeal to both groups.”
The initial idea behind SaSi was born out of several years of research using focus groups, Gasper said, which included female researchers and an extensive testing team encompassing women from across Europe and the U.S.
“Our designers wanted to use movement as a more natural and unique form of stimulation, in addition to vibration,” he said. “However, the ‘Eureka!’ moment came while we were testing various movement patterns, when several testers gave the analogy that they wanted the product to be like an ‘obedient lover, who remembers what you want.’
“It was this insight that led Duncan and Chris to create SaSi’s unique ‘learn function,’ which enables SaSi to remember which movements the user likes. SaSi’s smooth, rounded ‘nub’ caresses and stimulates under a thin, silky-soft silicone cover, creating a massaging sensation that’s the closest thing we can get to the tip of a tongue.”
Because every person is unique, SaSi gives the user complete control of its movements and has a choice of two modes. In Favorites mode, Gasper said, SaSi’s nub moves in five different patterns that can be adjusted for both speed and vibration intensity. And in Learn or Customize mode, SaSi’s nub has a number of patterns.
“It ‘learns,’ like the perfect lover, which movements you like the most—and remembers them the next time you turn SaSi on,” Gasper said. “By using movement as well as vibration, combined with the unique ‘learning’ function, and by housing this technology in a discreet, non-intimidating and beautiful form, using the highest-quality medical-grade silicone, TPE and ABS plastics, and packaging SaSi in discreet and luxurious packaging, we’re offering a revolutionary and differentiated product that allows people to discover and tailor their perfect experience.”
Of course, consumers’ attitudes have changed enormously over the past decade.
“The most forward-thinking retailers have put their heart and soul into creating store environments that reward enlightened consumers and encourage them to discover the sensual delights that our industry offers,” Gasper said. “The ‘new breed’ of luxury and high-end sex toy brands have met this change in attitude with many high-quality products. We’re anticipating adding to this forward-thinking movement with innovative products, inspired by female insight from both a practical and aesthetic perspective.”
From a product perspective, Je Joue’s design team creates premium toys that address a common criticism leveled at many adult novelty products: Too many sex toys are designed by men with limited understanding of female needs. One of Je Joue’s goals is to present people with products that have real insight into their wants and desires.
And Je Joue isn’t stopping with just SaSi. The partners have a whole line of high-tech, female-inspired toys in mind.
“Our second toy [the G-Ki, previewed in July at the AVN Novelty Expo 2009] will be available to a select customer base in late September 2009, before general release in mid-October,” Gasper said. “It will further demonstrate our focus as a brand, but will be a very different offering, more suited to couple play. We hope to launch a new toy every six months.”
—Carolee Anita Boyles
For more information about Je Joue and SaSi, visit the company’s website at www.jejoue.com. To contact Alicia Relles, call (510) 282-3465, or email [email protected]
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