*Story by Nalpac staff
When stocking inventory, it’s easy to believe that only high-ticket items will bring in the big bucks, but don’t discount the value of low-cost toys and accessories! Affordable items are always in style, and with the right merchandising and conversations, their consistent sales are a cornerstone for retail business.
Affordable toys, BDSM accessories, lubes, and other topicals can be sold to every customer who enters the door: first-time buyers who are hesitant to spend too much, curious foot traffic shoppers just popping in, enthusiastic buyers saving up for the coveted toy, even big spenders can use accessories with their high-ticket purchase. This is just as true for webstores! An affordable toy placed on the front page of your site can inspire a visitor who is just browsing to spring for a purchase. An easy, non-committal purchase can convert browsers.
Conventional wisdom may suggest that a sale of a lower-priced item is a missed sale of a higher-priced item. But the two aren’t mutually exclusive. If handled correctly, a low-cost purchase is not a final one, but an opening to a larger sale or add-on to another.
For example, say a customer comes in to buy their first toy. They want to buy a vibrator, but they are not yet familiar with the styles, functions, and other variations, leaving them a bit overwhelmed. The salesperson introduces some simple, low-cost bullets and G-spot vibrators, but also introduces the functions of higher-tier toys during their showcase — why this bullet costs $30 more than its $15 counterpart and why this rabbit vibrator is worth its $100 price tag.
This customer decides to buy a simple slimline vibrator, leaving the store with potential upgrades in mind. When they grow tired of buying batteries for it, they decide they’re ready to go for one of the rechargeable toys they learned about on their first trip. While there, the salesperson enlightens them to introductory anal toys. The customer thinks, “What’s another $15,” takes the suggestion to buy their first anal plug, and the cycle begins again.
By framing pleasure product purchasing as a journey, simplifying the structure of product tiers, and providing an educational experience for your customers, you can engage and maintain an enthusiastic return customer base with lower-cost items.
Listed here are some suggestions of low-cost products to keep in your store.
Low-cost vibrators and other toys
When someone is ready to buy their first sex toy, that could mean any number of styles, and they may not be sure which one. By representing every major toy style and erogenous zone — bullet vibes and clitoral stimulators, G-spot toys, P-spot toys, rabbit vibrators, anal plugs, and anal beads — stores are ensuring a low-risk purchase option for every desire. Many brands make these affordable options. UK-based Nexus Range rounds out their collection of high-end anal toys with anal beads that retail around $20. Blush’s line “The Collection” makes bullets for as low as $13 retail. Even WOW Tech’s Pleasure Air Technology, generally offered at premium-level tiers, is available in the ROMP Switch for $30.
Lubes and topicals
There is no reason a customer should walk out of a store without a new bottle of lube. Every toy from a bullet vibe to a sex machine can be upsold with a bottle of lube. Even if a customer doesn’t buy a toy on this trip, if they are properly educated about lube’s benefits to sex and masturbation, they’ll buy a bottle of lube. Every webstore should have a suggested purchase of water-based lube before checkout, adding at least $10 to any toy purchase. There are benefits and shortcomings to water-based and silicone lubes, so why not try both? When the price is low, so is the risk, compelling customers to spend just a little more.
Similarly, topicals like Anal-Ese by Nasstoys or Sensuva On Arousal Oil provide all-new sensations and experiences that toys don’t, all for under $15! Who wouldn’t give them a shot at that price? And unlike toys, lubes and topicals run out, meaning customers will come back to buy over and over again.
Low-cost BDSM gear
While BDSM gear can be as costly as full-on furniture sets, the itch to indulge can be scratched with something as simple as a Satin Love Mask from Pipedream Fetish Fantasy or Furry Handcuffs from Shots Ouch! BDSM play tends to intensify with experience, so adding a pair of handcuffs to a purchase could lead to the customer coming back for a whole under-the-mattress restraint system.
For more information, email sales@nalpac.com or call (800) 837-5946.
