Are you a sex toy business or a sexual wellness brand?
At first glance, this seems like a trick question. But it isn’t. In my experience, most founders talk about their brand when what they’re really describing is their business. It’s a distinction that matters far more than most realise.
I’m not saying one is better than the other.
A well-run sex toy business is no easy feat and hats off to anyone that achieves it. But if you’re trying to build something that lasts, something that earns loyalty, commands premium pricing, opens retail doors and grows beyond a single product, understanding that difference becomes critical.
A Business Sells Products. A Brand Sells a Feeling.
A sex toy business has products, a price point and a way to get those products to customers. That’s it. There is nothing wrong with that as a starting point. But it is just a starting point.
A sexual wellness brand has a point of view. It has a personality. It makes its customer feel something. It makes them feel seen, empowered, liberated, curious, before, during and after the purchase. Sexual wellbeing is wellness. The brands that understand this are the ones building genuine connections with their audiences rather than just focusing on shifting units.
I’ve worked with brands whose products were genuinely brilliant. Better materials, better design, better functionality than anything else on the market. And they still struggled. Not because the product wasn’t good enough. But because there was no clear brand identity, nobody understood what the brand stood for or how it was meant to make them feel.
Think about the brands you remember in this space. The ones that have genuinely cut through. They’re not the ones with the most products or the lowest prices. They’re the ones that made you feel like they understood something about you.
That’s brand. And it cannot be faked.
Customers may buy products for function, but they stay loyal because of what a brand means to them.
A Business Thinks About Transactions. A Brand Thinks About Relationships.
A sex toy business thinks about the sale. How do I get someone to buy this product? How do I convert this visitor into a sale? How do I shift more stock?
A sexual wellness brand thinks about the customer. Who is this person? What do they need? How do I earn their trust? Not just once, but over a lifetime of purchases?
The brands that will lead the next decade aren’t thinking about individual transactions. They’re thinking about communities. They’re thinking about how to connect authentically with customers and how to offer something beyond the product itself. They’re building relationships that bring people back again and again because the brand resonates on a deeper level than what’s in their shopping basket. You can read more about what the beauty industry can teach us about building those relationships here.
That is the brand mindset in action. Not “how do I sell you this vibrator?” but “how do I become the brand you trust throughout your intimate wellness journey?”
A Business Competes on Price. A Brand Competes on Value.
This is where I see so many brands get stuck.
If your primary competitive strategy is being cheaper than the next person, you are in a race to the bottom. Someone will always be cheaper. There will always be another manufacturer, retailer or marketplace willing to go lower. And once you’ve positioned yourself as the affordable option, it is very hard to move upstream.
The shift has been happening for years. I’ve watched this industry move from explicit to elegant, from novelty to necessity. And the brands that made that move early are the ones leading the market now.
A sexual wellness brand with a clear identity, compelling story and loyal community can charge more. Not because it’s greedy, but because it has earned the right to. Customers pay a premium for brands they trust because trust reduces risk, creates confidence and adds meaning. They always have and they always will.
A Business Reacts to the Market. A Brand Shapes It.
A sex toy business watches what’s selling and makes more of it. It follows trends. It chases what’s working for competitors. It is, by definition, reactive.
A sexual wellness brand leads the conversation. It has a perspective on where the industry is going and shows up consistently to share it through content, community and the way it talks about what it does and why it does it.
In my experience, the brands people remember are the ones that know exactly who they are and communicate with confidence, clarity and consistency. Playing it safe, trying to appeal to everyone and hesitating to own your position is not a brand strategy. If you’re not sure whether your marketing is working for or against you, this post is worth a read.
The brands standing out right now are not the ones with the biggest advertising budgets. They’re the ones with the clearest point of view coupled with creative strategy. If nobody can explain what you stand for, your products are doing all the heavy lifting.
A Business Launches Products. A Brand Builds a World.
A sex toy business has a catalogue. A sexual wellness brand has a universe of values, aesthetics, stories and experiences that all work together and point in the same direction. This is what makes the customer feel like they belong to something.
Look at the brands making an impact right now. Hello Nancy has broken through the noise with a strong brand identity, distinctive products and creative campaigns that capture attention in a crowded market. Smile Makers has built a playful brand with a focus on mainstream retail whilst engaging and educating consumers. LELO has done what very few brands manage. The company has grown, evolved and expanded globally without ever compromising the luxury identity it was built on.
Brands that live their values, not just talk about them, are the ones that build stronger connections with their customers. When your principles show up in the way you operate, the way you communicate and the way you show up in the market, people can feel it. Coherence isn’t fluff. It’s one of the most powerful commercial advantages a brand can have. When every touchpoint tells the same story, customers stop questioning your value and start believing in it.
So Which One Are You?
Most businesses in this space are somewhere in the middle. They have some brand thinking and some business thinking, and sometimes the two are pulling in different directions.
The brands that break through aren’t the ones trying to be everything to everyone. They’re the ones that make a clear decision about who they are, who they’re for and what they stand for. Then they align every touchpoint around that decision. The product. The packaging. The website. The marketing. The social media. The customer service. The language. The values.
That is what turns a sex toy business into a sexual wellness brand.
And it is worth every bit of the effort it takes.
If your customers would struggle to describe your brand beyond the products you sell, you may have a successful business. But you haven’t built a brand yet.
If you’re not sure which side of this line you’re on or you know you’re on the wrong side and you’re ready to do something about it, let’s talk.
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