Though most people might be more familiar with subscription boxes that cater to personal interests such as makeup or geek culture, the interest in curated collections of pleasure products is surely and steadily growing.
A few years ago, it was not easy to find companies that—for a monthly fee—shipped samples of lubricants, vibrators, lingerie and more to consumers. Today, dozens are doing just that, and more are getting on board that train every day.
A quick search for sex toy subscription services yields dozens of articles in all types of publications, from Slate.com to Glamour to New York magazine, and even more services themselves—Big Oh! Box, Nooky Box and Spicy Subscriptions among them.
Texas resident Kassie said she had her first thoughts about a curated subscription service for pleasure products in April 2016, and launched The Naughty Box on August 20 that year.
“I was already a huge fan of subscriptions like Ipsy and Birch Box,” she told AVN. “At the time, I worked in an oil field and spent a lot of my days driving. I had a lot of time to think, and I was also coming up with ideas for new businesses to try. When I got the idea for The Naughty Box, I talked about it with my husband and my neighbors. I liked the idea of being in the industry, because it seemed like such a good industry and where there could be some opportunity. But at the same time I wanted to be discreet. After talking it over, I finally decided to just go for it.”
In September 2016, she said, there were only 13 customers; as of March 2017, she was at more than 450 subscribers and the list continues to grow.
For $12 a month, The Naughty Box subscribers get five or six products, particularly lubricants and bath and body items. If customers enjoy the samples, they are able to purchased full-sized versions directly from TheNaughtyBox.com.
“It is hard, because to keep the price down, I focus more on the smaller items,” Kassie said. “I would love to start including one or two toys, but right now, in the beginning, that can be a little costly for me.”
Especially in the very beginning, Kassie relied on items she could buy in bulk from local retailers to include in the box. As she grew her online retail store, however, she started getting cooperation from her main distributor, Holiday Products. She’s made a point of attending trade shows to meet with individual retailers, too, to develop relationships with them.
“Holiday Products has really been wonderful about working with me, and I have gotten help with John at Uberlube, Masque, Lucky You/Lucky Me and a few others,” she said.
More and more, distributors understand that subscription boxes could easily be a new market. Allison Travers, director of marketing communications for Colorado-based Eldorado Trading Co., said several companies in recent months have contacted the distributor about working with them on subscription services.
“But we also proactively seek them out since we see this as a growing market,” she said.
“Subscription box services are huge. They have great popularity in mainstream as they allow consumers to try a variety of products on a monthly basis,” Travers added. “Adult subscription services give an option to people who want to try something different in their sex lives. They allow more private consumers to try a variety of pleasure products in the comfort of their own home and expose themselves to sex toys as well as new brands and sex acts.”
The idea of discretion is partly what led Kassie into the business.
“Our boxes are shipped very discreetly, and we don’t have any outrageous or really over-the-top products,” she said. “I want people to always be excited about getting The Naughty Box, not worried that there’s something embarrassing inside. There are already too many people who might be too embarrassed to walk into an adult store. Others just might not have the time to make a shopping trip for sex toys a regular part of their routine. And there are still so many in the U.S. who might just live too far away from a good adult store. I want to be a resource for all of them; a place where they can get surprises every month, and a website where they can buy even more of what they like.
“I want to really expand the store too, so after they get used to trying new items every month, they can explore even more by shopping for larger items,” she added.
Kassie said her distributors have gone above and beyond to help her find deals on items to stock, but she is interested in developing partnerships with a few key manufacturers as well. To date, she said, Uberlube and Masque have worked with her, and she’s looking forward to more manufacturers coming on board as subscription services gain in popularity.
Gideon Perez of The Screaming O noted there are advantages to manufacturers working directly with subscription services. In Screaming O’s case, he said, a service called MarriageSupply.com reached out because Screaming O products—which are couples friendly and suitable for those just starting to explore the world of pleasure products—are a good fit for its customer base.
“One of the reasons we chose to partner with
MarriageSupply.com was because of their Free Sex Podcast,” Perez told AVN. “In addition to their monthly subscription box, they also put out a weekly podcast with a very active listener base. Having this as an additional channel to discuss the various products going into their monthly boxes really helps drive that engagement with the brands represented.
“Brand awareness and loyalty are definitely two of the main goals,” Perez said of working with subscription services. “Repetition is always key and giving a customer an opportunity to experience our products multiple times through this type of subscription service I think goes a long way toward building that loyalty as well as trust.”
When it comes to product inclusion, Travers said consumers of the many subscription services Eldorado Trading deals with ultimately decide what products are included in their boxes; when customers sign up, they fill out questionnaires about their preferences and the services choose items based on the subscription level chosen.
Perez said The Screaming O tries to work with MarriageSupply.com to ensure a good fit between consumers and products.
“MarriageSupply.com will usually have products in mind but we’ll give our input based on sales data for top-selling items and work with their theme for that particular box,” he said. “The goal of course is to choose products that we feel best represent our brand while still being a good fit for their customers.”
Katie said she is still feeling her way through the entire process with The Naughty Box, but plans to communicate with her customers through surveys to grow the business as well as make sure she strikes the right balance between subscribers’ desires and the products they receive.
In all cases, Kassie, Perez and Travers all seem to think the subscription service is not just a passing fad, but a sustainable business model that will only continue to grow.
“Most definitely more of these services will appear,” Travers said. “The concept is huge with younger generations and is a great way to adapt to the shift of online sales. Hopefully it will also open people up to going into stores when they find a product they like from their subscription. It also helps consumers learn new lingo and educates them about pleasure products and how they can spice up their sex life.”
This article originally ran in the July 2017 issue of Intimate magazine. Click here to see the digital edition.
