Sex The increase in demand for sex toys is reflected in grocery stores – “Women received an enthusiastic reception, while resentment came mainly from men”

Sex toys sales no longer take place – merely – in unmarked cardboard boxes by mail order. Both globally and in Finland, the market for instruments has grown considerably, and in December the S Group announced that it would bring dozens of sex instruments to Prisma’s online store.

The products have been available for purchase for more than a week now. Home Goods Store Sales Manager Päivi Holen according to customers have welcomed the products.

“We can’t talk about any million-dollar business or thousands of copies, but clearly the category has been found in us.”

Tools have been available at K-Citymarkets for a long time: Kesko’s partner RFSU announced in 2009 that it would launch a range of sex products in Citymarkets. Kesko’s Purchasing and Sales Manager Mikael Fagerholm says the range has remained moderate for more than a decade. Products have varied, but have generally been in the order of magnitude on both sides of the five products. The selection is built on the basis of customer wishes and the offers of partners.

“Demand has grown over the years, but of course our range is so narrow that we can’t see the same growth as maybe elsewhere in the instrument market.”

Under the name Cabbage CEO of Kentonec, a well-known sex shop Mikko Rosén says the growth over the last couple of years has been “insane”. He cites both a coronavirus pandemic and marketing as explanatory factors. Due to the blockade, the singles have not been able to meet people and the couples have spent time at home with each other.

The use of sex tools is no longer taboo, he said. For example, the media writes a lot about the subject, and Rosén points out that sex topics are constantly on the list of the most read stuff.

“The attitude is getting looser every year, and people dare to try things out.”

The cabbage worm does not keep track of who buys the tools and how much they each buy because the customer register is not kept. However, something can be deduced from the product categories about the users.

“In percentage terms, the biggest leap in a couple of years has been in men’s products and products for couples. There have also been more products available for men and couples, so those product categories have grown. ”

As Rosén says, marketing has been brisk. Some companies, including Kentonec, have received a remark from the Advertising Ethics Council because the ads were shown on the radio before 9 p.m. Comments are also made to the performing media, and at least in some cases these are radio channels owned by STT’s main owner, the Sanoma Group.

Prisma the best-selling products in the online store have been vibrators for women. Hole is not surprised.

“I thought in advance that women would take over the category,” as women are responsible for consumption in many other categories as well.

When the S Group announced the launch in December, Hole believed in advance that there could be comments from so-called protesters on social media. Eventually, women became enthusiastic about the reception, while resentment came mainly from men.

“Really many commented on that at last. That is why it was basically taken for granted that no one has escaped the news about how the demand for sex toys has accelerated. Our job is to meet the needs of our customers, and what would be a more natural area than this, ”which is strongly present in everyday life.

Kesko’s Fagerholm believes that the growth of the instrument market is due to the liberalization of social debate and thus the everyday use of sexual health products.

“When the products were launched,” the issue even made headlines. Today it is no longer so wonderful.

Also Sex Therapist for Population Therapy Services Pauliina Flang believes that the proliferation of sexual means underlies the breaking of taboos. According to him, sex is seen as a natural part of humanity, and when the subject is repeatedly featured in traditional and social media, the threshold for talking about and getting used to one’s own sexuality is lowered.

At her reception, Flang has not found any differences in attitudes toward sex by age group or gender. However, he points out that those who come to a sex therapist’s office are, in principle, perhaps more willing than average to talk about sex.

“I would think that sex is used by those who are open to bringing pleasure to both themselves and others. The increase in knowledge also has an effect, ie it is understood, for example, that “penetration alone does not usually bring the greatest pleasure to a woman.

As a therapist, Flang is also pleased with the improvement in the quality of the instruments and the expansion of the range. With a wide variety of offerings, the tools are more likely to find alternatives to suit different preferences.

Flang believes that sex tools help people learn more about themselves and each other. In many cases, problems in the topic are related to a lack of information or discussion.

“Many women may feel that they have something wrong when they don’t get an orgasm in penetration, even if only a very few women do. A man, on the other hand, may think that when an orgasm is easy for himself and difficult for another, ”then a man’s orgasm is a climax.

One factor in misunderstandings, according to Flang, may be, for example, a lack of sexual education that focuses on sex in the reproductive spirit and does not talk about pleasure or caring for another. In addition, she has found that sexuality is often seen as a common thing between couples, even though each also has their own sexuality.

“And sexuality is also changing. That’s why it’s important to be able to tell what to like and also to update it ”if preferences change.

Therapist emphasizes that not all instruments are even intended to produce an orgasm but, for example, to increase pleasure and desire. He recalls that there is a wide spectrum of desires, which, however, is not always recognized.

“We always compare ourselves to others and want to be part of it. However, we are very individual in what we get excited about and what our desire goes out. That’s why talking about it is such a big deal. ”