RICHMOND, Australia—Associate Professor Paul Magian, from the School of Earth and Environment at The University of western Australia, recently teamed with SexToys247.net.au to map out the customer base for the online retailer and their product preferences.
"This mapping of our sales data shows that adult products are being purchased by all sorts of people in urban, suburban, regional and remote Australia" said Chris Diprose, Managing Director of SexToys247.net.au.
The initial analytics covered more than 65,000 orders, or $6 million in sales, of adult products across Australia at the state, postcode and suburb level between 2012 and 2015.
Gone are the days when sex shops and adult products were for an almost exclusively male customer base. The range and volume of products sold by SexToys247.net.au points to men and women exploring their sexuality. "Our ‘Top 10' biggest selling products include sex toys specifically for couples (We-Vibe 2 and We-Vibe 3) and toys predominantly for male use (e.g Tenga Cup) and female use (e.g. Medisil Massager),” said Diprose. "When you start analzsing over $6 million in adult product sales you get to see a very broad picture of which suburbs are purchasing the most—all anonymous of course!
"This data is all anonymous, no names or street addresses were used in analyzing this data,” he added. “We used suburb, postcode and amounts only. Privacy is very important, so rest assured we used the bare minimum of data in our analysis."
This has created the definitive list of "Australia's kinkiest suburbs.” The mining might have subsided, but the good news for the local economy is that the appetite for adult toys in Australia is booming; and much of it is purchased locally since overseas shipping can be cost prohibitive.
"The sales data from SexToys247.net.au reinforces my view that Australians have become increasingly sexually curious and adventurous,” Diprose said. “Online retailing cuts out the embarrassment factor for those still reluctant or too shy to visit an adult store on the high street. Plus, online retailers tend to have good customer service—they need to because the sex toy market is highly competitive".
So, where are the kinkiest suburbs in Australia? The ranking, is:
Mackay, QLD
Toowoomba, QLD
Gladstone, QLD
Cairns, QLD
Sydney CBD, NSW
Mandurah, WA
Central Coast, NSW
Melbourne CBD, VIC
Brisbane, QLD
Townsville, QLD
Bundaberg, QLD
Wollongong, NSW
Wagga Wagga, NSW
Hervey Bay, NSW
Port Macquarie, NSW
Cockburn, WA
Charnwood, ACT
Launceston, TAS
Springfield, QLD
Gold Coast, QLD
Fiona Patten, MP and Leader of the Australian Sex Party, former CEO of EROS Australia, recently made comment on the mapping.
"This has produced some amazing data and maps,” she said. “I think what we are seeing here is the economic, social and cultural mainstreaming of adult retailing and sex toys. We are becoming more sexually curious and adventurous. This will raise policy questions in relation to adult retailing, sexuality and commercial forms of consensual sex."
For more, visit SexToys247.net.au.
