The Sunday Interview with Desiree Duffie Part 2
Sextoys – As we mentioned earlier, Topco Sales is growing. Recent articles across the internet, including one in the New York Times, have chronicled the growth in sex toy sales over the last year. Many people have speculated that this growth is a function of the economic downturn leading people to choose different kinds of entertainment. We think it may also be a function of sex toys making it to the mainstream of pop culture. Do you have any data on Topco Sales’ growth that would allow you to speculate on why sex toy sales are expanding? If not, what would you guess is propelling this growth?
Desiree Duffie –Trends indicate that more and more women and couples are shopping for sex toys. Over the past decade we’ve seen sex toys move from the back shelves of adult book stores into boutique shops and female-friendly environments. It is exciting. As women take hold of their sexuality they are using sex toys as a source of empowerment. I think that accounts for a lot of the growth. Remember the episode of Sex and the City several years ago with the rabbit-styled vibe? It was a watershed moment for the world of sex toys. Suddenly it was okay for women to shop for sex toys, to talk about them, to find pleasure with them.
The economy today is also a factor. With disposable income levels low, people might not be able to afford that trip to the Bahamas, but they can afford sex toys so they can have sex like they were in the Bahamas!
I think there is an intimate component in play as well. Sex is comforting. Feeling loved. Feeling satisfied—that is all important during this economic time of uncertainty. Having toys and products that help evoke those feelings is important in a time of uncertainty.
I also think fear is a catalyst. We are afraid of losing our jobs, our homes, our savings, etc., and we have seemingly no control over that. But one thing we do have control of is our sexuality. We can control what happens in our own bedrooms. It goes back to that feeling of empowerment. Sex toys can empower us to take control – and that comforts us like no government bail-out can.
Sextoys – Topco Sales has good interaction with consumers and offers the option for feedback. What kinds of requests do you see with regard to products, and are there any trends in customer requests for different toys? Or, framed differently, which toys have caused the most buzz among customers, and why?
Desiree Duffie –Topco Sales recently launched the Topco Sales Community as a way to bridge the gap between the sex toy manufacturer and the consumer—and everyone in between such as SexToys.com as a retailer, and other companies that handle distribution, press, trade and more.
We, like SexToys.com, feel that education is important. Some people are intimidated by sex toys because they don’t understand them or know how to use them. Something as simple as a G-Spot shaped toy can be frustrating for a woman who doesn’t know where her G-Spot is.
The Topco Sales Community features a line-up of expert bloggers who engage in an on-line forum. We welcome all questions, comments, and dialogue. Some topics that pop to mind include conversations about the incredibly popular Perfect Ass. As the biggest ass on the market, the Perfect Ass seems to have her own fan-base! I’ve even talked to an artist who used it in his sculptures.
We have a little bit of a ‘buzz’ in the community right now because we are about to launch a “Create a Sex Toy Contest” and solicit ideas from people. Everyone seems really excited to be able to throw in their ideas.
We know there is a lot of confusion out there about ingredients in sex toys and personal lubricants, so we address that on our Sex Toy Materials FAQ page. That way people can learn about glycerin, parabens, phthalates and more.
Not Sarah Palin
The single product that created the most buzz, though, had to be the ‘This is Not Sarah Palin Inflatable Love Doll’. (Editor’s note: You can get your own Not Sarah Palin here.)
The blogosphere was on fire with people either loving or hating the doll right before the presidential election. Most people got a kick out of the doll, but it was so fun to read comments and editorials from people who took it way too seriously. Some of my favorite coverage included Comedy Central’s blog, and on Slate.
The reason that toy causes so much controversy is obvious, it took a shot at a political figure that people either found funny or offensive. As a feminist I especially found some of the comments by pro-women’s groups and blogs interesting. If women truly want equality, then they need to be prepared to become the butt of a joke just like their male counterparts, especially in the world of politics.
For the Republican party to have seriously thought they could shove any woman into that position and expect that she would be embraced just BECAUSE she was a woman, was frankly offensive to women. I think the doll and the media’s general reaction to Palin during her VP run represents the sentiment that women in positions of power must be serious. They have to be smart, qualified, and experienced. If you give us a joke as a VP nomination then we as a people will find ways to laugh at that joke. The doll was Topco Sales laughing…and a lot of people laughed with us. Ok, stepping off the political soap box now!
Sextoys – We’ve covered much in this interview. Is there anything that you’d like to add, or announce to our readers that we haven’t covered here?
Desiree Duffie –Topco Sales is truly on a mission this year to connect with the consumer in ways we haven’t done before—in ways that other sex toy manufacturers don’t even think of! That includes the Topco Sales Community I mentioned, plus lots of promotions and engaging activities.
So first, I would like to invite all your readers and customers to check us out at our community site, because that is the hub where everything is happening!
An exciting contest that we JUST started involves the new Penthouse City line of products. People can submit their own erotic adventures and win Penthouse City Toys and the chance to be published in Penthouse Letters Magazine.
We have that Create a Sex Toy Contest coming soon, so watch for that, and so much more!
Thank you SexToys.com for all your social networking initiatives and the platform you have created. You’re doing a great service to the public and the industry. Thanks!
Sextoys – That is great to hear. We appreciate your in depth answers and all of the information. Thanks again for your time and expertise.
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