I’m surprised I haven’t written an article like this in the past, but I feel qualified to write one. If you run a store, if you want to, if you work with a sex toy retailer, run social media for one or are otherwise associated, take heed.
- New Additions
Listen, I’ve been around the block a time or two, so I know what’s already out there. What I want to know, especially if I’ve been a loyal customer of yours, is what’s new. You need to let me organize your categories by data added, at the very least. What I really prefer, however, is a “recent additions” page, or something similar. Plus, this makes your website look updated, which it should be.
- Social Media
Let’s talk about updates. When you’re on Facebook or Twitter, you can tell us what’s new. Furthermore, you can tell me exactly what I want to see. Social media gives you the opportunity to build relationships and bill yourself as personal, a face behind the company. Give us coupons on Twitter, and we’ll shop at your site. Tell us when something’s on sale, and we’ll love you forever. Social media isn’t rocket science, but it does take time.
- Review System
Now, if no sex toy store had a review system, I’d be okay. After all, that’s sort of why this blog exists? And plenty of people don’t use on-site review systems to get their reviews, or they supplement them with reviews from sites like Of Sex and Love. But if you put those reviews right on your site, you provide extra reason for consumers to use your website. You provide a form of interaction the cements your store in the customer’s mind. It gives you a good idea of products that are worth selling and putting on sale and those that you should drop. Reviews: you can’t go wrong with them.
- People Skills
One of the websites that has frustrated me the both does so because the staff lack people skills. There’s no understanding. There’s no polite asking. There’s only demanding and dictatorships. There’s strict rules that change on a whim and a total breakdown of communication. You do not want to be that person.
- Sex Toy Knowledge
A lot of etailers have taken the time to remove China shrinking creams and toys with phthalates. First, they had to have the knowledge of what toys could potentially be harmful. Without this, you might sell too many toys or too few or toys that are potentially bad for someone’s health. My personal favorite? Toys described as for anal play that obviously aren’t safe for the backdoor. When you know about toys, and aren’t simply trying to make a quick buck, you know how to categorize them, can pass on bad toys and can better answer customer questions. Win-win, right?
- Basic and Luxury Toys
I don’t always recommend a luxury toy. After all, I’ve tried plenty of Lelo and Jimmyjane toys that just didn’t do it. My favorite bullet isn’t luxury, and we don’t all have deep pockets or sugar daddies, but some people do. Some live in crappy apartments but splurge on sex toys. Some people save up all year. Other comb the Internet for sales. If you only focus on the super cheap or the amazingly expensive, you’re missing out on a large demographic. You’re making consumers go to other retailers to meet their needs. You’re doing yourself no good.
- Updated Stock
Just like I wanted to see what’s new, I want there to simply be new things. Add new toys, remove those that are no longer in production. If you have the resources, give us a system that lets us set alerts. Tell us how many are in stock. Nothing’s worse than ordering from a company only to find out that the product doesn’t exist. Except, maybe, seeing-ten-year old toys that you know aren’t actually available on a site.
- A God-damned Search Feature
Please let me search your every page with a little form on your every page.
So you want to know which shops do these things? SheVibe, Good Vibes and PinkCherry.
This is, by no means, a definitive list. There are plenty of things that a sex toy store should have. There are even more things that a store should have–and plenty of things it shouldn’t—if it also wants to run a successful community. What would you add to the list?
