IMbesharam is marking 13 years in India’s sexual wellness market, reflecting on the category’s shift from a largely taboo space to an increasingly mainstream part of ecommerce and popular culture.
Founded in 2013, the retailer has delivered more than one million orders, built a catalogue of 2,000+ products and a community of more than 500,000 people across social platforms.
“Thirteen years ago, we started with a simple belief: pleasure is normal, and access to sexual wellness shouldn’t be determined by shame, stigma or where you live,” said Raj Armani, Co-Founder of IMbesharam. “Our goal was to normalise pleasure and, in many ways, democratize sex – to give people access to products, information and conversations that allowed them to make their own choices about intimacy.”
The company has recorded 20% year-on-year sales growth, alongside increased order volumes and market reach, crossing ₹1 million in sales in a single day on multiple occasions.
Some of the year’s most visible signs of progress, however, came outside traditional ecommerce. Armani appeared on iDiva’s Dr. Cuterus podcast, Raj Shamani’s Figuring Out and was featured in DocuBay’s Bad Toys Inc.
“What has been remarkable is watching the consumer change with us,” Armani added. “When we started, almost everything about this category had to be discreet. Today we’re talking on major podcasts, at mainstream events, on quick-commerce platforms and through entertainment. There is still a long way to go, but the conversation has undeniably moved forward.”
As IMbesharam enters its 14th year, it plans to keep pushing sexual wellness further into everyday Indian culture through education, products, technology and partnerships. Thirteen years in, the conversation has changed, but IMbesharam isn’t done shaping it.
