CES 2010: Gadget design continues to influence sex toys, and sales are booming even in tough times.
Every year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) gets a kinky neighbour: the Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE), which features a quite different approach to silicon. However, adult industry experts agree that the high-tech world of CES is having an increasing impact on the design and marketing of sex toys
"A big swing for us is hi-tech toys -- remotes and stuff, there's a big trend towards that," said Kim Airs, the 'resident sexpert' at sex toy manufacturer Pipe Dreams. Airs was one of several speakers on an AEE panel on trends in the sex toy industry, and all agreed tech-influenced design ranks high on the list.
"With the new high-design high-functioning toy movement in our industry, there are more silicon- clad vibrators than ever before," said Dr Carol Queen, staff sexologist for adult retail chain Good Vibrations.
"The trend in general is consumers are becoming more sophisticated and looking for a better quality product," said Larry Garland, CEO of adult distributor Eldorado.
Garland says the best-selling product this past year has been the We-Vibe, which despite the Nintendo-sounding name is actually a couples-oriented vibrator. "It's such an obvious idea it's amazing to me someone hasn't thought of it sooner."
While a strong trend in recent years has been aping Apple's iPod design, Queen suspects that the next wave of products will indeed owe more to the Wii.
"Gaming technology will much more be the interface with our toys and our whole industry," she said. "There'll be more sophisticated things, but I think they're a few years away. " One potentially promising avenue in this area is Microsoft's Project Natal controller free body gaming system, which the company this week promised would be on sale by the end of the year.
Despite challenging economic times, sales in the sector generally remain strong. "Shoppers in our industry want value for their dollar," Queen said. :We saw customers shopping a little later this holiday season but we definitely saw them shop. We saw really strong vibrator sales."
While high-tech design offers the possibility for sex toy managers to charge more for products, the sector isn't without its challenges. "We're working towards making them quieter," Airs said. "That's definitely a trend."
Another problem is working out effective ways to promote high-tech toys in store. "You must train your sales staff on how to turn those gizmos on and off," Queen said. "Your customers will break your floor models if you don't train people."
For all the technology impact, however, the adult industry still relies on reworking staple products. "We really jump on trends," said Airs. "At the end of February, you'll find the Tiger Woods blow-up doll on sale, so you too can sleep with him."