Jacob Codkov, the owner of the company Soho Fashion, supplier of shoes and accessories, a year ago in front of the Pandemic itself, I decided to start delivering to Russia not only the Clarks and Gant boots, but also "adult goods" and launched Soho Wellness - a distribution network of sex toys. A businessman told Moskvich Mag about the rapidly growing global market for sex products, the features of the Russian consumer, innovative erotic devices and recommended a vibration bullet and a gold ring-vibrator as gifts on March 8.
If you imagine the average sex shopping client in New York, Berlin and Moscow, will there be a difference?
Everywhere there will be women everywhere, but they have different age. For example, in the USA, where I studied, already in the early 2000s in large cities like New York and Los Angeles, it was made that the mother of his 16-year-old daughter gave the first vibrator to the girl who play hormones, did not sleep With whom it fell, but learned his body and sexuality. Among the Americans there are many young customers, there it is customary to buy sex gadgets and call girlfriends to try it all.
In Berlin or London, it will be either a girl 20+, or young couples that take devices for joint experiments.
In Moscow, the main buyer is a woman for 30, then there are also 30+ couples. There are few young people, in our country there is an opinion in the country, if the girl wants a sex toy, it means that her partner has a bad dick. And only with age, our people get rid of stereotypes and can freely talk about their needs and desires. But awareness is growing in front of: a sex toy is perceived not as the devil, but something like spices, a normal tool and to strengthen the family, and to improve mental and physical health (the same devices for the exercises of Kegel, preventing the problems of the pelvic bottom).
In Russia there is an installation if the girl wants a sex toy, it means that her partner has a bad dick.Sex toy is no longer only something rubber and phallic, now the choice of devices is huge: vibrator massagers, clitime vacuum vibrators, complex stimulants. Now in the bedside table is stored not one device, as before, and five or six, different devices for different waters.
People around the world are becoming more advanced users and more often change sex devices. All as with smartphones.
What makes Muscovites most often buy in sex shops?
In men, the palm of championship belongs to masturbators, they can repeat the external form of vagina or look like a part from the spacecraft.
Women are popular vacuum-wave stimulants working on air pulsation, suction and repulsion. Appearing in 2014, these gadgets literally blew up the market. But classic dildos are still in demand.
What is the global market for sexual wellness products for adults and what percentage falls on Russia?
World turnover - $ 26 billion, and by 2026 the growth of up to 53 billion Russian market is small - only 50 billion rubles, while, for example, in the US, the sex toy market is 10 times more and amounts to 9.2 billion dollars. . Approximately 60% of the total turnover falls on Moscow, but this does not mean that Muscovites are so like experiments compared to the rest of the country. The reason is purely logistic - almost all online shopping and distributors of sex toys and shipments in the regions are registered mainly from Moscow. The major sales centers of sex goods are still in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, one of the largest logistics centers - Tyumen, there is a distributor LLC "Andrei".
What are the main trends in this market?
Sexual Wellness goods have ceased to be tabooed products. They are sold on the shelves of traditional shops next to electronics, perfume, women's clothing. Prestigious world awards in the field of design and technology are increasingly assigned to the Sexual Wellness goods. It is no longer a niche story from the cellars of "red" stores, it is mainstream.
Why, in addition to shoes and accessories, did you decide to do "adult goods"?
On the domestic market of sex toys reigned full Bardak - black customs clearance, black payments, marketing problems, an incomplete range. It was obvious that both on the part of the western companies of manufacturers of sexual goods, and from Russian stores there was a clear request for a civilized distributor with a pool of high-quality brands and a private warehouse, which everything will legally bring and crawl, which will fully represent the range of each brand, and Not only one model, and there will be no problems with warranty service and the exchange of goods. It was easier for us than others, since the entire infrastructure is already rebuilt and there is a warehouse, the boxes with vibrators are stored next to the branded shoes, and we managed to attract one and a half of the ten major producers from Europe and the USA.
All goods in neutral packaging, but on request we can stick any sticker, at least the goods of the head, even though the feed for rabbits. Let others think about you what you want.Investing about 40 million rubles, we launched our project in March 2020, the Deserved.ru online store earned in November, now its turnover is about 2 million rubles per month. In fact, we do more than just sex shop. We want to create a portal for all that concerns sex - both education, and training, practices, and trainings.
It is important to help women, and not make them be ashamed of something completely normal. Selling a vibrator, you do not have to sell sex, but what improves the attitude of a woman to itself.
What share of the Russian "Adult Goods" market is online?
Now online trading in sex toys is 40% of the total turnover, but this share is growing rapidly. The reason is that the Russians do not want someone to see how they enter or go out of the sex shop, many do not want to communicate face to face with sellers. Therefore, there are no such stores in shopping centers, which would be logical - big traffic. I am confident that in the future the number of physical stores will decline, this is a global trend. In the US and Europe, sex shops were left only in tourist centers like Amsterdam or Hamburg, but abroad everyone buy sex toys in cosmetics stores or pharmacies like a perfume network Douglas or networks of pharmacies CVS or BOOTS.
I liked this idea, and we agreed with the cosmetics shop and perfumery "Golden Apple" and "M.Video", and their online stores from March will represent our brands. The presence of such goods is the recognition of the influence of a woman and its importance in society.
There are no fittings for sex toys, and the gadgets are not cheap. How to understand what is suitable for you, and what not? So I always miss.
Well, firstly, there are video and audio positions of goods, the manufacturer usually gives detailed descriptions with the photo. But the most win-win version - buy a basic cheap model for 20-30 euros (such is most of the manufacturers), if you like it, boldly buy a premium device for 150 euros.
Another point: how do you solve the question with packaging? Somehow I do not want the courier or concierge to understand that in the box.
Anonymity is an important point. All goods are packaged in a neutral box and an opaque dark bag without designations so that neither a neighbor nor the concierge do not understand what. Although I do not exclude that an anonymous opaque package will soon become a recognizable sign, everyone will understand that there is a sex toy. About as in the USA, where it is forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages on the street - if you have a red plastic glass in your hand, everything is clear that alcohol is in it.
But on request, we can stick any sticker, at least the goods of the head, even the feed for rabbits, even though the compositions of Marx and Engels. Let others think about you what you want.
What will recommend gifts for March 8?
For example, the blue vibrator of the Je Joue brand or their own vibropulum - this beautiful British manufacturer has all goods in a very beautiful gift wrapping. Very unusual and extravagant gift option - Ring-vibrator from 18-carat gold Unbound Palma. There is, however, and silver.