Demand for sex toys has dramatically increased in the UK during the coronavirus lockdown, according to research conducted by LovetheSales.com, a global marketplace for shopping discounts which has more than 1,000 UK retailers as partners, and Fleshlight appears to have done particularly well.
The platform – which measures ‘demand’ by UK Google search and four million UK shoppers searching its site – says that demand for sex toys has spiked due to much of the public being forced to stay home and self-isolate for 23 hours a day: “With dating out of the question and some partners self-isolating in different homes, the UK is exploring new modes of self-love,” the firm added.
The headline figure from the data released by LovetheSales.com concerns male toys: consumer searches for these has nearly tripled in the month of April, compared to last year’s figures. Fleshlights are the trending sex product for men during lockdown, with demand for the toy increasing by 241% this month, compared to April 2019 [pictured: Fleshlight Girl Mia Malkova with her Lvl Up model]. Other male toys in demand include inflatable dolls up 168%, and penis rings up 155% in April, compared to April 2019.
LovetheSales.com says demand for female sex toys has increased by 78% during lockdown, compared to April 2019. “Normal annual data sees demand for female sex toys peak in February, around Valentine’s Day,” the firm said. “However, searches for female toys has been higher in the first half of April than searches over the same period in February 2020. A comparison between February 2020 and April 2020 sees a 43% uplift in demand for female sex toys. Extra quiet vibrators are the trending sex product for women in isolation, with demand up 112% this month compared to April 2019. As shoppers self-isolate with friends and family, they are willing to pay more for quieter devices.”
Demand for rabbit vibes was up 82% this April, while dildos and handcuffs also enjoyed a surge in online search and figures for both categories were up 71% and 50% respectively. April 2019 v April 2020.
Liverpool was named as the UK city with the highest increase in demand for sex toys, a 62% jump over April 2019, followed by Brighton (up 56%), London (up 50%), Newcastle (up 49%), Birmingham (up 46%), Norwich (up 39%), Cardiff (up 33%), Sheffield (up 30%), and Oxford (up 29%).
The full report can be seen at www.lovethesales.com/press/articles/lockdown-sex-toy-boom
