Sex toys e-commerce – statistics & facts
While historically shrouded in shame culture and social taboos, the sexual wellness industry is now slowly gaining popularity, championed by younger and more progressive audiences, and buttressed by the rise of social media and e-commerce. Sex toys e-commerce refers to the online retail of an increasingly complex and innovative array of products, including vibrators, dildos, love eggs, bondage accessories, anal toys, cock rings, male masturbators, and other items designed to explore and stimulate human pleasure and promote sexual wellness.
Globally, e-commerce accounted for nearly two-thirds of the sexual wellness devices market in 2021. Very few industries have such high rates of e-commerce penetration, and we can imagine why. The possibility of browsing for sex toys online, in the privacy of one’s own home, as well as completing the purchase and having it delivered in a discreet package to your doorstep, has captured much more popular appeal than walking into a brick-and-mortar sex store in broad daylight.
Even in more liberal societies where the buying and selling of sex toys is allowed and widely available, some segments of the population may still refrain from purchasing sex toys for different reasons, ranging from religious beliefs to feelings of shame or embarrassment. Even so, sex toy e-commerce has recently taken off, driven in particular by the long periods of social isolation imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In France, the online share of the sexual wellness devices market increased from 67 percent in 2019 to 78 percent in 2020/21. Similar pandemic-induced increases in sex toys e-commerce were recorded in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Globally, e-commerce accounted for nearly two-thirds of the sexual wellness devices market in 2021. Very few industries have such high rates of e-commerce penetration, and we can imagine why. The possibility of browsing for sex toys online, in the privacy of one’s own home, as well as completing the purchase and having it delivered in a discreet package to your doorstep, has captured much more popular appeal than walking into a brick-and-mortar sex store in broad daylight.
Breaking taboos in the digital sphere
In many conservative societies, sex and sexuality remain highly controversial topics. Sex stores are prohibited, and the idea of owning a vibrator or a dildo for one’s own pleasure is virtually unheard of – or done in complete secrecy and at a high risk of social sanctioning or stigmatizing. A quick look at the regional distribution of the sexual wellness devices market tells a thousand stories: Although significantly more populous regions, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa (LAMEA) accounted for only eight percent of sex toys sales, compared to a combined market share of 56 percent for Europe and North America.Even in more liberal societies where the buying and selling of sex toys is allowed and widely available, some segments of the population may still refrain from purchasing sex toys for different reasons, ranging from religious beliefs to feelings of shame or embarrassment. Even so, sex toy e-commerce has recently taken off, driven in particular by the long periods of social isolation imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In France, the online share of the sexual wellness devices market increased from 67 percent in 2019 to 78 percent in 2020/21. Similar pandemic-induced increases in sex toys e-commerce were recorded in the United Kingdom and the United States.
