This article originally ran in the October 2016 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the digital edition.
There’s definitely a new game in town when it comes to pleasure products, and EIS GmbH, makers of the Satisfyer range of products, plans to be among those leading the charge.
When the company entered the North American market, it was with its second product, the Satisfyer Pro 2, billed as 90 percent quieter but just as powerful as the original model, which made a name for itself in the manufacturer’s home country of Germany. Satisfyer Pro 2 features pressure wave stimulation and 11 programs of stimulation. The waterproof stimulator has silicone heads that are easy to clean and change out.
American distributors were impressed, and many started carrying Satisfyer Pro 2 within weeks of its American debut.
“Satisfyer’s success in Germany was based on a very high demand for this new toy category, but at a fair price,” explained Jerome Bensimon, vice president of sales for the company. “The only alternative was really pricy and out of reach to most end customers. We’ve decided to take a different approach and make sexual wellness affordable to most of the women.”
European customers began clamoring for the device, he said, so the decision to cross the pond and enter the U.S. market was a natural next step. The enthusiasm from distributors, retailers and customers has been overwhelming, and the manufacturer is working hard to capitalize on the enthusiasm by introducing new items in the coming weeks.
“We believed that bringing to the shelves a high-quality and efficient product like Satisfyer Pro 2 at $99 might be enough … but believe us, it’s not!” Bensimon said. “Still, many women cannot afford it. That’s one reason why we’ve pushed further our strategy (which, by the way, was in the planning stages for some time already) to bring to the market four new products—two battery-operated and rechargeable—with MSRPs from $39.99 to $79.99.”
Each new design, Bensimon said, will appeal to different target groups. The entire range now features the Satisfyer Pro Deluxe, Satisfyer Pro Penguin, Satisfyer 1 and Satisfyer, all in addition to the Satisfyer Pro 2.
The new products were developed with two of the most well-known and reputed product design companies in Europe. The designers created 12 drafts, and Satisfyer officials selected the four that were highest rated from test groups and developed them further.
“Sexual wellness matters to us; this is becoming more and more mainstream thinking,” Bensimon said of the range of products and the care that goes into designing them. He noted products like Satisfyer are working hard to advance wave pressure technology to help more and more women to enjoy masturbation and orgasms. “It sounds weird to say, but this is what this new toy category does and also what makes them unique.
“It’s supposed to be a secret, but I feel like telling you that yes, our engineer and designer teams in Germany are working on more surprising products, including revolutionary toys for men!” he added.
The products for men will not only complement the new women’s pieces coming this month, but also the other new couples’ products: the Partner and Partner Plus. The Partner series products, Bensimon said, are powerful, use Satisfyer’s patent-pending technology and they retail for $49.99 and $69.99.
If it seems like Satisfyer has a plan that will work, it might be because the man behind it is the same one who created two other popular brands that took their respective sectors by storm: Ovo Lifestyle Products and Baci Lingerie.
“Our main investor is also the owner for over a decade of the worldwide largest online adult store in Germany with 7.5 million returning customers that he built up from scratch,” Bensimon said. “He founded Baci Lingerie and Ovo, as well as different brands in other industries. I’ve enjoyed working with him for his vision and energy to move things for our industry. His daily main focus is to provide to end customers affordable, innovative, high-quality products to enhance sexual wellness.”
But, he noted, it’s not just the company’s vision that matters. It’s how well received the products are by consumers.
“The feedback is simply amazing,” Bensimon said. “I can’t tell you how many thousands of emails from around the world our customer service is getting. So many just to tell us how much women love their Satisfyer. It’s also useful to get feedback that our R&D is taking in consideration to upgrade our products as fast as we can and also design new ones.
“We strongly believe it’s a revolution, not just a trend, for sexual wellness,” he said.
Bensimon said it’s hard to tell where the company might be in the next five years, or even in the next 12 months, but noted it will keep investing in research and development to create more best sellers.
“We will be ready no matter the direction this market of sexual wellness goes,” he said. “And if it leads up to being one of the market leaders, we will welcome the challenge.”
