Adult NetSurprise Gay Sites Zone - Know Your Product

PUSSY CASH

Know Your Product - And Your Customer
by Darklady

"The two best subjects for conversation are talking shop and making love."
- Phyllis Bottome, Ladies' Home Journal

I am the personification of Phyllis Bottome's hot conversational fantasies. Every month I review a dozen to more porn tapes, and an assortment of adult topic books, comics and magazines. If I'm very lucky and have been a very good girl, I also get the opportunity to review a choice selection of sex toys. Not a day goes by when someone doesn't drop me email asking for advice on relationship and sexual matters.I'm regularly asked for recommendations for good videos, sex toys, books, positions, places to meet hot bi babes, techniques for delicate shaving, tips on anal sex, talking women into swallowing cum, swing clubs - you name it. For me, talking about making love is talking shop.

I don't always know the answer right away, but I usually know where to go to find the answer.

Once upon a time, I visited two brick-and-mortar sex toyshops. One has two locations in the Bay Area. The other is a large chain store with shops throughout the country. I was in search of a very specific item: an electric vibrator known as the Hitachi Magic Wand. The little shops in the Bay Area not only had several available for purchase at both physical locations but also offered a variety of similar items, as well as an online shopping option, so I could easily pick up extras for my friends should I need to do so later. The large chain location not only did not carry the incredibly popular item in question - it had never heard of it. No one in the shop had a clue what I was talking about and I was never contacted about the matter after I left the store, although the clerk had taken down my name and phone number. Visits to the company's website confirmed that the Magic Wand was not in the sex toy emporium's lexicon.

I've not been back to the nationwide chain store since. I recommend shoppers to the boutiques in the Bay Area on a regular basis.

There are a number of important differences between the two stores I visited, the differing availability of an enormously popular vibrator being only one of them. The smaller shops are uniquely educated on the subject of sexuality, providing classes, workshops, and seminars on sexual matters. Each item carried as retail stock is tested and approved by the employees, who are thoroughly versed on the pros and cons of what they sell. The company's online presence includes interesting information about the history of vibrators, notices concerning sponsored events, and a magazine with columns and features by well respected sex writers and educators. Whether customers visit the store physically or virtually, they have access to a wealth of sexuality resources. The chain store is - just a building that carries sex toys and depends on customers to either know what they want or be willing to buy what's available.

I don't delude myself for even a moment that every brick-and-mortar or online sex toy store can be expected to emulate the Bay Area's Good Vibrations. Not every shop or site can hire a staff of sexperts, but each of them can become a better resource for their clientele, thus increasing their bottom line and their reputations. It's not even particularly difficult.

Anyone who carries videos, toys, or print media of an adult nature should subscribe to publications such as Adult Video News or Adam Film World Guide. AVN is a trade magazine that directs its reviews and feature articles toward the merchant, whereas AFWG targets the consumer. Both perspectives can be of great value to online professionals, whether they sell merchandise or book talent. Advertising and editorial coverage provide an excellent insight into who's hot, who's not, who's making a come-back, who's on the rise, what trends are in or out, what the politics of the industry are, and what sort of products are working their way onto the market.

Having at least one staff member or contract worker with familiarity in the area one's site promotes is an excellent way to encourage product integrity and anticipate the next wave of interest. For instance, who knows better what interests a fan of ethnic porn, ass sex, BDSM, or other niches/sub-niches than someone who lives and breathes the stuff in real life as well as online? The key to success is not merely to cash in on a trend once it's hit but to anticipate it, to be the first to offer e-novelty. Cable television programming such as HBO's "Real Sex" or the Playboy Channel's "Sexcetera" can alert bright industry insiders to ideas, products, and talent just emerging. The more one knows about the amazing assortment of sexual interests and activities that appeal to people, the more accurately they can be captured and sold to consumers eager to satisfy their cravings. By understanding the interests and needs of site visitors, one can anticipate them.

The nice thing about working in this industry is that sex isn't just shoptalk that one has to endure; it's interesting. Reading magazines and books about sex, whether focused on fiction or real life, expands one's vocabulary as well as one's imagination. The more words being used in the various sexuality communities that one knows, the more words can be used in site descriptions, articles, meta tags, keyword searches, and the like.

Remember the lesson of the Hitachi Magic Wand: The more a business exposes itself to its clientele and their yearnings, either by direct involvement in their lifestyle choices or by hiring/consulting with someone who is both articulate and insightful - the more visitors will believe that the company they are patronizing has value in their lives. That value will translate into repeat visits and recommendations, which will translate into increased profits.