(Note: This story appears in the February 2022 issue of SE Magazine)
Through our recent SE survey, retailers have taken the opportunity to make suggestions that may bolster the relationships between stores and distributors.
(Editor’s note: Throughout this section, direct quotes from our online survey are featured. Store owners and buyers answered these questions anonymously.)
Have you experienced supply issues because of COVID, and if so, have your distributors been able to help you through these issues?
“Yes, and for the most part all distributors have been great with suggesting replacement products that were similar in nature.”
“COVID did affect the supply chain for quite a while at the beginning. But I think in this industry, the distributors did a great job of anticipating and getting ahead of other industries. We are not currently seeing the supply shortages that large corporations like Walmart are seeing.”
“We haven’t noticed too much of an impact on our operations but we definitely have more customers than ever on notification lists for when products become available.”
“Because every distributor has been working so hard to keep stock levels available, I truly believe we haven’t faced nearly as much of a crisis as we might otherwise have without their work. ECN warned us during the fall trainings that shipment issues were about to happen, and they sure did — just about every category of our usual product range had empty spots for some time — but we’re almost always able to find some kind of replacement of a similar item from another brand that is available to fill the spots and continue making sales. We’re really grateful to the people who have been working hard to make sure products continue to be available as much as possible.”
E-commerce and website structure are the future. We’re constantly moving away from the millennial generation that grew up with emerging technologies being invented every other week and self-teaching how to use them without bricking our computers, and toward Gen Z and further who were born into the age of UI design specialists and Apple-style “it should just work” intuitiveness, who don’t generally spend the time to go looking for the functions they need if they’re not immediately obvious. I see a good amount of website redesigns happening here and there, and I know they’re huge and expensive undertakings, but don’t let yourself get complacent and say ‘We redid the website five years ago, we’re good for another 10,’ because realistically, you’re not. — Anonymous
What are your top one or two complaints about industry distributors in general?
“Shipping keeps getting more expensive. Getting multiple boxes that are half-full and have 6-8 inches of packing material is not OK.”
“I believe the only complaint I would have is certain distributors are no longer carrying certain brands so you almost have to order from a variety of sources to order what you need. A one-stop shop would be ideal.”
“I wish all distributors had a seamless drop ship program. Two, not all stores are created equal … so to learn your store’s market and make sure your distributor understands it. I had a distributor who came to my store after working with me for six months and said she could point out the six items she had recommended to me that didn’t seem to work in my store. She offered to take them back, because ‘she got it.’ I really appreciate that type of honesty and teamwork.”
“If I had to complain about anything, it would be that I always have to pay to test out products to put in my line. I change up my products a bit every year to keep it new and exciting for my customers. I wish that when I’m testing out new products to see if they fit in our line that I could get testers or maybe a bigger discount on just a couple of each of the items. I like to know and really test items before I put my name on them for my lineup of products.”
“We would love for them to carry smaller, newer-to-the- industry brands and give them lower minimum fulfillments so they can get started using distributors.”
“Would love to see more detailed information on product pages — product dimensions, battery requirements, images of charging cables that we can borrow for our own websites (so when our customers lose one or get confused which one is which, we can help them track it down) or specs on what kind of charger (amp/volt rating) is necessary so that people know which chargers are interchangeable and which aren’t. I think that stuff about chargers is primarily manufacturer’s duty, though. Better and more extensive product pictures might be nice, product packaging images (including the back of the package, which often has really good information, in an image resolution that allows it to be read easily by customers browsing our site), size charts for lingerie, lube ingredients and material compositions/care instructions for lingerie or stuff like rope. Lastly, accurate toy materials! I really hate ordering a product that says silicone and receiving it, realizing that the product description and package labeling is a lie, and having to manually notate on our website or tape a disclaimer to the box that our store can’t determine the actual composition of the material (that is, if we don’t just send it back in the take-back programs mentioned earlier). I know not all adult stores care about accuracy and customer satisfaction, but some do, and it’s frustrating to have to wade through bad labeling and malicious advertising techniques to make sure we’re stocking quality products.”
“Just because I am a small business does not mean I’m not as important as a larger chain. Help us grow together :)”
“Things are getting better overall, but a common complaint would be ignorance/non-familiarity with LGBTQ communities and with body redundancy, racial exclusion, disability ignorance and sexism in packaging and marketing materials.”
If you had an audience of industry distributors, what advice would you give them?
“Listen to what store owners are saying regarding products customers are asking for. I realize everyone likes to focus on higher-end products, but we have customers from all walks of life, different financial situations. I think the lower-priced products often get overlooked.”
“We are in a relationship business. Understanding what my business is, who my client is, and what makes us successful, is key to my buying more from you, and me succeeding in the business, thus you succeeding. I really feel like distributors are working much harder to have the personal touch, to create much higher-end niches, and work to insure it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. I truly appreciate that.”
“I think COVID actually helped in the ways I would like to see distributors (or even manufacturers) share info. It is not always easy to know what is out there without being able to see the items in person. Having virtual info about products is nice. I just wish this could extend to all items — not just new products. As a distributor, you have access to many items that are similar, as opposed to a manufacturer. A manufacturer only shows/talks about/ sells their own items. But as a distributor, you have access to many items and can do honest comparisons without bias (presumably). This kind of information would really help on the sales line.”
“I would advise them to raise the fee they are charging their drop-ship clients. Those clients have no other choice but to work with you. It would be wise to price the services you offer them in relation to how much effort and labor it takes to pack an order.”
“E-commerce and website structure are the future. We’re constantly moving away from the millennial generation that grew up with emerging technologies being invented every other week and self-teaching how to use them without bricking our computers, and toward Gen Z and further who were born into the age of UI design specialists and Apple-style “it should just work” intuitiveness, who don’t generally spend the time to go looking for the functions they need if they’re not immediately obvious. I see a good amount of website redesigns happening here and there, and I know they’re huge and expensive undertakings, but don’t let yourself get complacent and say ‘We redid the website five years ago, we’re good for another 10,’ because realistically, you’re not. It doesn’t have to be shiny and slick with smooth animations or anything, but functionality and intuitive use matters; search function and categorization/ organization matters; user experience matters. Don’t get complacent when it comes to technology; chances are more people are struggling with your website than will ever get up the courage to call you up and tell you what issues they’re having, because we don’t want to be rude or whiny, but it does affect how satisfied we are with the services provided.”
“Free swag is awesome but if you want me to sell your products, I need to know what I’m selling. Even if I can’t use it, someone on my staff can, and the whole team will be much better at selling said product.”
In which ways have industry distributors helped you and your store over the past few years?
“Steph at Eldorado has gone above and beyond to help me achieve a successful business in the industry. She and Lupe from CalExotics have actually flown out here to this little island and help the flow of my store. I can’t brag enough about both of them!”
“I have appreciated that the distributors have listened to me when I asked for samples, as I use floor samples to sell, and it was costing me a lot of money to buy and put them on the floor. They also give me a head’s up on new products, and have worked to ensure that we have a mutually beneficial relationship — whether that means sending vendors to teach my staff, or setting up events, or getting samples for giveaways (like lubes, etc.)”
“We’re a small team with a grand vision for the years ahead. Our industry’s distributors provide both a short- and long-term solution for this vision by providing access to a breadth of products that simply wouldn’t be possible on our own.”
“We love the trainings that ECN puts on and publishes every year or so! The chance to speak with brand reps live is a huge benefit to our staff training efforts and efforts to carry and know about industry trends and such. Another big benefit of ordering through distributors in general is the ability to discover new brands and products just by surfing their websites and new items sections; if we had to order from each manufacturer directly, we’d never bring new items in because it’d just be so much work. Return and overstock policies from distributors like ECN are also helpful in allowing us to take risks with new, rare, or expensive products, and see whether or not our customer base has interest in them. Over the years this has led to us expanding our selection in directions we never expected — chastity cages and sounds, or large/expensive masturbators/ strokers like the Zolo Roboblow or PDX Perfect 10 doll have all outsold our expectations by an order of magnitude or more — and we’re grateful to have the peace of mind that if we try something out, and it sits on the shelf untouched for up to a year, we can send it back and not face having to take the financial hit of trying to sell it on clearance and getting that money back. Having the sales reps at the distributors is also such a great resource; Meghan and Randy at ECN have both been great to us over the years, we always get quick and helpful responses whenever we need something from them.”
“Randy at ECN and Dave at National are in constant communication with me. If I have needed something, they will find it for me or let me know when it will be available. Jane at Nalpac calls to let me know of any sales coming up.”
How would you rate your overall service from the distributors you use from one to 10, with 10 being perfect and 1 being … not so perfect?
“ECN and Williams are both stellar in terms of order fulfillment. ECN has their fantastic system of listing “related” items on the bottom of their product pages, so if I want
to order something (plus grab product info like barcodes) in all three colors, I can just click through to the first color and go from there instead of doing the search three times, plus ECN has amazing training sessions. Eldorado is the only distributor that we have an account with who carries Lovense products, and that’s always nice, in addition to the other handful of smaller/less-known brands that they offer. We always like to have the stuff that no one else does, so that’s cool. We order from Xgen Products occasionally — mostly boxed lingerie — and they also have a good search function with narrow-down functions and quick and accurate fulfillment/shipping times.”
Do you find that recommendations about specific products that you receive from distributors are:
“I would say ‘mostly’ correct. I find that we have a unique demographic, and so we are particular about selecting products. They try very hard to ensure we have just what we need for our client base.”
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